The Alliance
by Eliza Hayes
Summary: The young clone, Jack, meets up with some people from Roswell. The Roswell Clones were made twice. One set remained in Roswell. The other set was moved to New York.
1. Chapter 1

The Roswell Experience

By Eliza Hayes

"Can you believe it?" Nigel smoothed down his red hair for the umpteenth time. "Dr. Tobias, the head of NASA, is giving us an award for our working robotic model of a dragonfly today."

"No, I can't." Jack mumbled dispiritedly. He looked at four future scientists who were about to expire from excitement. "This ends all my hopes of dating in this decade."

"Jack, not even you can be blase about this." Mark undid his tie. "We're here at NASA in Maryland as Dr. Tobias's guest."

"You should be thankful, Jack." Denise went over her thank you speech. "We did the work. You get the glory."

"Jack did discover the faulty component." Dennis argued. He knew his sister was jealous of Jack and, as a brother, he gleefully rubbed it in. "He also assisted with the design of the solar unit. Without him we wouldn't have won."

Jack just snorted, not trusting either one of the 'Bobbsey twins'. At first, Denise reminded him of Carter but she was vindictive when proven wrong. Dennis was no better. The smarmy little weasel! Jack was relieved that Original Jack made arrangements to rent a cabin in Virginia for a little fishing. The last thing he wanted to do was sightsee with the geeks.

Their advisor opened the door and informed the kids it was time to leave for the auditorium. Nigel and the twins headed out.

"Damn." Mark pulled his tie off again.

"Here!" Jack grabbed Mark's tie. In a flash, Jack finished the knot. "Don't touch it."

"Thanks, Jack." Mark checked his tie out in one the mirrors in the room.

"Just like a scientist." Jack said. "Can give me an equation for almost anything. But ask him to do something simple like tying a tie!"

"Well you know me, the idiot savant of ties." Mark grinned in good-naturedly. "It's better than being an idiot."

"Let's go, savant." Jack laughed.

"Okay, idiot." Mark's hand headed for the tie. Jack smacked it away. "Ouch."

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Major Riley finished up the final report of the last mission. Ever since the failure of his team in Roswell, New Mexico, all of his assignments were milkruns. At least this one had the perk of being in Atlantic City. He looked up as Donaleigh and a stranger rushed in.

"We've got a location on the aliens." Donaleigh vibrated with tension. He knew how important this information was to his commander. "This is my contact, Dr. Mendez, with the NID. A couple of his subordinates recognized the one called Max from the agency's most wanted. "

"Where are they?" Major Riley's face shifted. He wanted to kill those creatures now more than ever.

"A motel in Virginia." Donaleigh looked hesitant. He glanced at Mendez. "One problem..."

"What problem," Major Riley snapped.

"We want to capture the aliens alive." Mendez stated. " See if they have any weakness."

"Are you out of your mind!" Major Riley banged his fist on the desk. "One of them destroyed an Air Force base by itself."

"We understand the risks." Mendez said to Major Riley. "Do you understand what an army of these hybrids can do? We need to analyze their DNA. And, in a controlled environment, check the limit of their powers. "

"Why us?" Major Riley asked. "Surely you have teams in Virginia."

"None with your experience." Mendez lied. NID teams had more than enough experience to capture the aliens. However, if he used them, his immediate supervisor would replace him as lead scientist. No way would he allow that to happen.

The room was quiet as Major Riley paced back and forth. He finally stopped in front of Dr. Mendez. "All right, I'm in."

"I'm authorized to give you whatever you need." Mendez stated. "We're setting up a temporary base in Arletta, Virginia."

"We need stun guns and grenades for six squads of ten men each." Major Riley said. "We'll take three squads with us and leave three here on stand by. We need two personal carriers and two jeeps. And radios for all the men. And I also need the layout of the motel."

"I'll take care of it." Mendez quickly jotted down some notes.

"Now, about security for the base..." Major Riley started.

"Don't worry about that. It's already being taken care of it." Mendez stated.

"Have a plane ready to go in an hour." Major Riley picked up the phone to contact commander of the squads.

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Liz Parker Evans glanced up at her husband, Max and smiled. They spent their second anniversary in a dingy but clean motel, located in a little south of Luray Virginia, and ate at a small diner similar to the one Liz's parents owned minus the alien menu and waitress' swaying antenna. What made it so romantic in Liz's eyes was that they were alone!

"It's time to meet up with the others." Max packed his clothes in a small backpack.

"I know." Liz said with a small sigh. As much as she loved her friends, she wished she had a few more days alone with Max.

Liz and Max stepped out of the hotel with their bikes. The air was clear and crisp with just a hint of the heat to come. Both of them bore the weight of their backpacks easily as they pedaled back to the campsite a few miles away.

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Major Riley saw the plan come together. His vehicles and equipment were at the Luray airport when he arrived. They spent fifteen minutes gathering the necessary information and equipment. Everything was going like clockwork. Although the car was driving twenty miles over the speed limit, it felt like eternity until he saw the ancient motel.

"Surround the motel." McMurphy spoke into his headsets. "Stop anything that moves."

One of the squads did just that while the other two methodically broke down the doors of all the rooms.

"They're not here, sir." Donaleigh ran up to Major Riley.

"Major, I spoke with the desk clerk." McMurphy came up from behind Donaleigh. "Max Evans and a girl left about half an hour ago by bike. It looks like the aliens split up."

"Agreed. He's probably on his way to meet the others." Major Riley tapped the roof of the car. "We passed a strip mall coming up here. We'll see if anybody there has seen them before going on."

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"You were flirting with her." Maria shouted at her currently off-again boyfriend, Michael Guerin.

"I was just being helpful." Michael shouted right back.

"Don't give me that! You nearly fell in her shirt." Maria responded. She was quivering with righteous indignation.

"I was changing her tire." Michael claimed as Kyle came out of the tent. "Ask Kyle!"

Maria turned to Kyle with blood in her eyes.

"I know NOTHING." Kyle answered his hands up in the classic surrender pattern. "NOTHING!"

"Chicken," Michael mumbled as Maria turned back to him.

"Buc, buc," Kyle turned to make his escape and almost knocked over Liz and Max who were walking their bikes down the wooded path. "Thank God, you two are back!"

"What's going on here?" Max asked with a disapproving frown. "I could hear you two from the road."

"Michael was flirting with a bleach blond bimbo." Maria's eyes glittered with rage.

"I was changing her tire." Michael was frustrated with Maria in particular and the situation in general.

"Where's the van?" Liz injected, hoping to distract the couple from their argument. "We planned on leaving in a few hours."

"Isabel took it." Michael took the change of subject gratefully. "She said we needed more supplies."

Liz and Max looked at one another figuring out easily what happened, Isabel skipped out for some much-needed quiet time from the Maria-and-Michael show.

"Let's finish packing up the camp," Liz said to Maria. Maria looked like she was going to say something but, much to everybody's relief, she followed Liz into the tent.

Maria started rolling up Michael's and her sleeping bag while Liz started on Isabel's. Maria looked up to find Liz frozen with a look of horror on her face.

"Liz, what is it?" Maria cried out shrilly. She placed her hand on Liz's shoulder.

The guys came running at Maria's cry. Max crowded into the small tent pushing Maria out of the way.

"It's Isabel." Liz choked out.

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After the ceremony and a long tour of NASA with the adult and baby geeks, Jack was relieved to be away. He still couldn't believe he made the honor roll in physics, mathematics, and foreign languages. And now he was in a national program for gifted students. All he wanted to do was get back to Cheyenne Mountain and the Stargate. At this rate, he might end up being a scientist instead of an air force officer and wouldn't that be just perfect.

Jack saw a grocery store and decided to stock up on supplies. He parked and got out of the car. He saw a beautiful young woman get out of a van and briefly checked her out. It was Isabel.

She walked towards the large grocery store, unaware that Jack was admiring her. She was absent-mindedly playing with two rings on her left hand when one of them fell off. Isabel followed the rolling ring. As she was bending over to make a grab at her ring, Jack shoved her out of the way of a speeding car.

Isabel fell to her knees. Jack used his body to protect her. The wind lifted her hair as a black Lexus sped by. After a moment, Jack got to his feet and held out his left hand for Isabel. In his right hand, he carried a small travel bag.

"Are you alright?" The boy checked her for injuries and found nothing more dangerous than skinned knees. Isabel was wearing shorts.

"Yes." Isabel responded, looking at her knees. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Jack held out his hand. Isabel shook it feeling a slight static shock. " I'm Jack O'Neill."

"Isabel Ramirez." Isabel turned her attention back to the street and bent down to pick up the ring.

"Why don't we go to Grandma's to see if we can clean your knees?" Jack asked as Isabel picked up the ring wincing a little as she stood up.

"Grandma's?" Isabel thought Jack looked innocent enough but no way was she going to a stranger's house.

"Grandma's Old Fashion Restaurant and Ice Cream Parlor," Jack pointed to the a little restaurant with the name barely crammed onto the sign. "Might be good idea to get out of the middle of the street."

"Alright," Isabel responded, after a moment hesitation. Jack looked nothing like Alex but somehow his smile reminded her of him.

They entered the restaurant and looked around for a booth. The atmosphere seemed to embrace them living up to its name. The wooden tables with cream-colored tablecloths and matching napkins gave the place an old-fashioned air.

"Can I help you?" An elderly man asked.

"A table for two," Jack said. The host turned around and led them to an isolated booth.

A waitress immediately came out with water, silverware and a menu.

When the waitress left Jack unzipped a side pocket of his bag and pulled out some Band-Aids and antiseptic. "I was a Boy Scout in a previous life."

To the shock and embarrassment of both Isabel and Jack, Isabel burst into tears. Her sobs sounded almost painful as her shoulders shook violently. Jack discovered in his long life that the best thing to do in a situation like this was to keep quiet.

After a few minutes, Isabel choked out a mumbled 'sorry', feeling wretched and humiliated. She finally got her crying under control.

"Don't worry, I've been there." Jack said. "Except my crying was a lot more manly."

Isabel gave a watery smile wiping the last of her tears with a napkin.

"Been divorced, before?" Isabel asked. She couldn't believe how comforting Jack's presence was.

"Lost my family, friends, and a life that I loved twice." Jack answered. His eyes were lonely and sad, "To be honest, they were never mine to began with. But it's hard to argue with feelings."

"Sorry," Isabel repeated again, reaching out to hold Jack's hand. They stared into one another's eyes sharing a brief connection.

"Do you need anymore time?" The waitress asked, surprising both of the occupants of the booth. She was shifting her weight looking embarrassed.

"Milkshakes, the only good food in times like these," Jack said with a grin.

"Just coffee." Isabel said.

"Good idea! Two coffee milkshakes." Jack smiled at her.

The waitress stood looking at Isabel. Isabel hesitated a moment before nodding her head. The waitress booked through the double doors leading to the kitchen to place the order.

By the time waitress came back with their order, Isabel had cleaned and bandaged both of her knees. The only sound for a few minutes was the slurping of the milkshakes. Isabel marveled at the taste for once not tempted to put tabasco sauce in her milkshake. The bitterness of the coffee and sweetness of the ice cream was perfect.

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Michael and Max found the van in the parking lot. The rushed into the grocery store and convinced the manager to page Isabel with no luck. They searched the store again not finding Isabel anywhere.

"Where could she be?" Michael ran his fingers through his hair.

Max just shook his head. "We have to search every store."

They headed to the first store in the strip when they saw Isabel and Jack stepping out of the restaurant.

"Isabel!" Michael and Max cried out. Both rushed over and hugged her. Jack looked on with shocked amusement.

"What's going on?" Isabel threw confused looks between Max and Michael.

"You were supposed to meet with Liz a hour ago." Michael visibly relieved they found her. "We got worried and started searching for you."

"Are you alright?" Max looked at her twin bandages with concern.

"I just fell." Isabel said. "Nothing serious."

"Except for almost being hit by that huge car." Jack chimed in.

"It's nothing." Isabel elbowed Jack lightly in the stomach.

Jack made an exaggerated whooshing sound. He rubbed his stomach with a mock grimace on his face.

"Who are you?" Michael eyed him suspiciously.

"I'm Jack O'Neill." Jack said with a non-threatening smile.

"He saved me." Isabel said. "Jack, this is my brother, Max. And our friend, Michael."

"Howdy," Jack nodded his head.

Max nodded back. "We have to get back. You know we're breaking camp today."

"Thanks again." Isabel kissed Jack on the cheek.

"Could you do that for the camera?" Jack pulled out old instant camera from his bag.

"What?" Isabel laughed. He truly was a Boy Scout, she thought.

"The geek squad, which I joined under protest, will never believe that kiss without proof." Jack said. His smile disappeared and he seemed grimmer. "Just want something to hold on to."

Michael and Max looked from Isabel to Jack sensing closeness between them.

"I'll take the picture," Max said, taking the camera from Jack. Isabel and Jack stood together smiling at the camera while Max snapped the picture.

"Do one for me?" Isabel asked.

Max handed the first picture to Michael and immediately snapped another picture.

"Let's get our bikes on the rack." Max said to Michael.

"I'll bike back." Michael said. Max and Isabel looked at him questioning. "I need to get something. For Maria."

"Ah," Max and Isabel said together.

"Well, we're leaving as soon as you get back, so hurry." Max said, before heading for his bike.

"Bye Jack," Isabel said.

"Bye Isabel. I hope you feel better." Jack said, Isabel nodded briefly and headed to the van. Max and Isabel climbed in and took off.

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A short time later, two jeeps and personal carriers drove into the small strip mall. As McMurphy and his team got out of the jeep, Michael stepped out of a small antique and gift shop.

"It's one of them." One of the men yelled. The team pulled out their stun guns and stun grenades. They tossed a couple of the grenades at Michael, raised their rifles and started firing the tranq darts at him as well.

Michael's power slammed against the grenades causing a series of explosions that caused most of the civilians outside to run back into the stores. The darts were destroyed before even reaching Michael. One of the jeeps drove straight for Michael. Michael lashed out again, destroying the jeep. The soldier, who drove the jeep, jumped out at the last minute.

Michael backed up, trying to get inside. From there, Michael hoped to find a back door and find a way to escape Michael tripped over a discarded bottle and lost his concentration for one instant. That instance was enough.

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Jack finished picking up some supplies for the cabin. "It would be nice to get in some fishing. It would be even nicer if I could legally buy beer. If only I could have blackmail the other Jack into it. Well at least I got him to rent a car for me." Jack thought as he headed for the front of the store. It was then that Jack heard what sounded like bombs going off outside. He ran outside and was just in time to see an explosion destroy a jeep and several men scattered behind various cars and personal carriers. A moment later, before his disbelieving eyes, Jack saw several uniformed men shoot Isabel's friend, Michael with some kind of dart. Michael fell to the ground losing consciousness. Two of the men picked Michael up and carried him to one of the trucks.

"What's going on here?" Jack marched over to the men, forgetting he wasn't a Colonel in the Air Force.

"Who are you, boy?" Donaleigh twisted him by the arm. With his free arm, Jack locked onto Donaleigh's wrist and twisted. Donaleigh yelled and loosened his grip. Jack wrenched his other arm free, spun on one foot and slammed his palm into Donaleigh's elbow, breaking the arm at the wrist and elbow. As Donaleigh dropped to the ground in shock and pain, Jack snapped one of his knees up against Donaleigh's chin. Donaleigh hit the ground like a large sack of flour, out for the count.

The rest of the men pointed their guns at Jack.

"Hold. Nelson take your team and search the strip mall for any of his friends." An older balding man with a stern face walked toward Jack and the unconscious Donaleigh. At the same time the rest of the men broke up and headed for the different stores.

"Who are you?" Jack used his fiercest glare. It was a pity the glare worked better at 45 then at 16. "What has he done?"

"This is for Donaleigh," the older man stated before hitting Jack in the face. Jack moved just in time to avoid getting a broken jaw but that blow still knocked him to the ground. "Stevens, check his bag."

Jack was dragged up by two men and forced against a Jeep. One of the men grabbed the bag and dumped everything on the ground.

"Major Riley, look at this." Stevens said, after a minute of scrounging through the bag. He held out a picture.

"You're one of them." Major Riley snarled, shoving the picture in Jack's face.

"One of who?" Jack said in bewilderment. He looked at the picture of Isabel and him smiling, hardly believing that was taken only a few minutes ago.

"Where is this... thing, Isabel?" Major Riley growled.

"Thing?" Jack tightened his stomach muscles at the sight of Major Riley's raised fist. Major Riley's fist slammed into Jack's stomach. He hit the ground and lay there sobbing for breath trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

"Major Riley, I found a set of car keys." Stevens held out car keys with rental logo on the key chain. "It's to a Pontiac Sunfire. A rental."

"It has to be here somewhere." Major Riley barked. Three of the men, including Stevens, roamed the parking lot until they found the only Sunfire in the lot. The others kept an eye on Jack and Michael.

Nelson and his group hurried back to the group. "They're not in any of the stores."

"Boy, where are the rest of your friends?" Major Riley stared down at Jack who was pulling himself unsteadily to his feet. He looked harmless but he took out the major's best man in under a minute.

"I don't..." Jack started.

"Major Riley, it looks like this kid, Jack ... Jack O'Neill rented this car and a cabin." Stevens interrupted. "Here's the map. It's a few miles away."

"NOBODY is there." Jack rubbed his stomach.

"McMurphy, take him and his friend back to the temporary base. Handcuff him." Major Riley smiled scornfully at Jack. "Stevens, call for more backup and we'll head to this cabin. "

"Is that necessary?" Jack said, as McMurphy pulled Jack's left arm back and placed the cuffs on him.

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Liz and Maria stood at the campsite, waiting for their friends to come back. Liz had had another vision of the strip mall, one of Michael being in trouble. They wished they were searching for Michael with the others. However, they understood the wisdom of staying behind in case Michael came back.

"It looks like the soldiers split up." Kyle said to Maria and Liz. "One group was headed towards the highway. The others went deeper into the park. I think they're looking for us."

"They must have Michael." Maria said to Liz, tears forming. "Why didn't you warn us, Liz? You should have known."

"I'm sorry Maria." Her eyes filled with guilt. "If only I had this vision sooner."

"It's not your fault that your first vision only showed the car accident." Max walked from the woods with Isabel at his side.

"We have to leave, Max." Isabel said in despair.

"What about Michael?" Maria cried. "You can't leave him!"

"We can't help him if all of us are caught." Max placed his hand on Maria shoulder. "For some reason, all the soldiers left the area. We have a clear passage out."

Max and Liz got into the front seat. Maria, Kyle and Isabel piled in back. The van was deadly silent as it traveled down the highway.

"Liz, tell us again about your vision." Max drove the car from the dirt road to the main highway.

"Soldiers everywhere." Liz said. "There were explosions all around Michael. A car exploded. And then Michael fell, a dart sticking out of his stomach."

"Was there anything else?" Max asked.

"No ... yes," Liz closed her eyes replaying her vision in her head. "Somebody tried to help. A teenager about sixteen, brown hair."

"Jack," Isabel pulled the picture out of her purse and handing it to Liz. "Is this him?"

"Yes." Liz looked at the photograph of smiling boy. "Who is he?"

"He saved me from being hit by a car today." Isabel said, angry that another innocent bystander was being pulled into their battle. "Was he hurt?"

"I don't think so." Liz stated.

The van fell quiet again as they wondered how to rescue Michael and Jack. Several hours later, they pulled into another campsite and set up camp. They wanted to make sure that Michael couldn't tell his captors where they were.

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Jack watched Mendez probe and prod a semi-conscious Michael. He and his men kept Michael drugged and out of it.

"Get some of the other one's blood." Mendez said. Jack realized that being handcuffed to the bed limited his fighting ability. Besides, both his face and stomach still hurt.

"Ouch." Jack said, as the needle found the vein.

"It would be better if he wasn't drugged." One of the scientists said, taking Michael's blood to analyze.

"Unfortunately, that isn't possible." Mendez pulled out a penlight to look at Jack's eyes.

The door crashed against the wall and several soldiers came in interrupting the steady murmur of voices. Everyone jumped in reaction to it, including Michael.

"Bring him." McMurphy pointed to Michael. "Take the other one to one of the security rooms."

"What are you going to do with him?" Jack asked as he was dragged out of the room. McMurphy smiled in response.

As soon as he was tossed in his room, Jack looked around, trying to see if there was anyway to escape. The room was small with two beds and a door leading to a bathroom. There was nothing else in the room. It reminded him eerily of Cheyenne Mountain. Finding no means of escape, he sat on the bed, waiting for someone to remember he was here. Several hours later, the soldiers tossed Michael on the bed and took Jack to the interrogation room.

The soldiers secured Jack to a chair in the room and left him alone with Major Riley. "Jack, you finally made it." The Major's tone was jovial but his eyes were angry, like a predator denied his prey.

"I didn't think I had a choice." Jack sat on the chair looking nonchalant. He lost count of how many guys captured and questioned him. Granted, it happened to the original O'Neill and not him. However, he knew what it felt like to be taken prisoner.

"Where are you friends?" Major Riley hissed.

"I have a lot of friends. Could you be more specific?" Jack asked.

"We know about the cabin." Major Riley leaned over his desk trying to intimidate the boy.

"What cabin? I don't know anything about any cabin." Jack realized what Major Riley was doing. However, Jack met Goa'ulds, replicators and other not so nice aliens. It took a lot more to intimidate a person after that.

"Liar." Major Riley yelled, spittle flying everywhere.

Jack looked at him, wondering about the Major's sanity. Jack thought, if he ran this operation he would have made damn sure that the area was locked down and called in reinforcements to check the cabin. It was pretty sloppy job all the way around.

"Why are you after Isabel?" Jack asked.

"Please don't play the innocent. We know that you're an alien." Major Riley reached for something beside him.

"An Alien," Jack said in disbelief. "Like Marvin Martian?"

"From the Roswell crash."

"The Roswell Crash?" Jack laughed, amazed Major Riley believed in that nonsense.

The older man wasn't pleased that this boy was mocking him. He decided to teach Jack some manners as well as get some information out of him. Two birds with one stone, or in this case, one stun gun.

Sometime later, Jack leaned against the wall his head buried on his knees. 'At least it wasn't as bad as Ba'al,' Jack thought, trembling lightly. 'He can't kill me and bring me back, over and over again.'

Major Riley lifted Jack's badly swollen face. He heard the boy draw in a shaky breath. "You will tell me the location of your friends."

Jack heard a noise in the room. It took a second to figure out it was a phone on the desk. Major Riley got up and answered it.

"What?" Major Riley barked. "The plane was supposed to be here tonight. Okay ... Okay. I'll be expecting the plane tomorrow morning at 11 sharp." He hung up and looked back at Jack.

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Michael became more aware as the hours ticked by. He still had very little control of his powers but he felt himself becoming more and more lucid. He heard the door open and someone being tossed on the other bed. When he turned to look, he saw Isabel's friend, Jack. The boy looked like he had been in the losing end of a fight.

"Jack." Michael whispered, reaching over to touch the boy. Jack pulled back with a whimper. Michael said Jack's name twice more before getting a response.

"Michael?" Jack responded in a similar whisper. "Tired."

"Did you hear anything?" Michael asked.

"You're a Roswell alien. Leaving 11:00am plane." Jack slurred. "Tired."

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Isabel walked in the New Mexico desert toward Michael. She saw the beautiful majesty and subtle colors of the desert. For the first time, she noticed how beautiful the emptiness of the earth's bare bones was without trees and grassland cloaking it.

"Michael, do you know where you are?" Isabel asked.

"No." Michael wandered to the place that housed their spaceship before Tess stole it. "They're drugging me."

"Do you know anything?" Isabel asked, becoming more desperate.

"Jack told me we're leaving tomorrow morning at 11:00am." Michael leaned over to pick up a stick and drew some of the alien markings. "Jack's asleep. Go into his dream.

Isabel hesitated.

"He knows what we are, Isabel. Soldiers told him." Michael drew the last shape in the dirt.

Isabel touched Jack's picture and before long she found herself on a lawn with an older couple. They were talking together when, suddenly, a shot rang from the house.

"Charlie!" The man ran up the stairs and stopped at the door to one of the bedrooms.

The dream shifted and Isabel saw a circle with what appeared to liquid in the center. The same older man, in strange fatigues, was walking towards it with three other people. Three were humans. The fourth she somehow knew wasn't, at least not completely.

The older man turned and looked at her. "Isabel, you shouldn't be here."

The scene shifted once more Isabel was in a room with a large mirror on the wall. She turned to look into the mirror she saw her and Jack. She turned to talk to him but all she saw was the older man.

"Who are you?" Isabel asked.

"Jack." He answered.

"Where are you and Michael?" Isabel questioned.

"Are you here to hurt us?" Jack asked without answering.

"We were born here. Humans raised us. We know no other life." Isabel said.

Jack looked at her silently and then nodded his head. "We're in Arletta, Virginia. About three hours from where we met. There is an abandoned Air Force base just north of the town."

"How many men?" Isabel asked.

"About thirty." Jack said.

"We'll be there." Isabel assured him. Jack nodded once and Isabel felt herself being shoved out of his mind.

"Are you okay Isabel?" Max placed his hand on his sister's shoulder. He knew Isabel was tired. Hell they all were tired. It was getting close to midnight.

"Did you find out where Michael is being held?" Maria's eyes frantic with worry.

"Arletta, Virginia, at an old Air Force base. But they'll only be there until 11:00am tomorrow." Isabel said.

"Here's the map." Kyle pulled the Virginia map and a flashlight from the glove compartment.

After few minutes of frantic searching, Kyle found Arletta.

"It will take us about 2 1/2 hours to get there." Kyle searched the map for the quickest route. For all the myriad talent of the Royal 4 well, now 3, if you don't count Liz, they couldn't read map to save their lives. It was a lucky thing he was here to help them.

"Pack up. We're leaving as soon as possible." Max started taking down the tent.

"There is something else." Isabel sat down at the table. "About Jack."

"What about him?" Liz asked, wondering what if the boy was going to be all right.

"He's different." Isabel picked at the table nervously. The dirt disappeared from the surface. " So strong."

"Alien?" Max said.

"No." Isabel said. "An old soul." Literally, Isabel thought.

"Is he dangerous?" Max considered the possibility of leaving Jack there.

"No." Isabel answered.

"Let's worry about it later." Max went back to taking down the tent.

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Major Riley watched Jack's shoulders shake with silent sobbing. He knew he would be able to break him given enough time. Once he did, he would make the aliens would come to him. He paged McMurphy and Nelson. Both of his men arrived at the same time.

"McMurphy, take the boy back." Major Riley turned to look at the crumbled figure one last time before McMurphy picked him up and carried him out of office. "Nelson, gather two squads we're going to catch the rest of them.

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Kyle drove up to the gate in a stolen car. The guard at the gate pointed a gun at him. Kyle jumped at the sight.

"I've got lost on the back roads and saw your lights." Kyle wished he wasn't the only one the government didn't know about. "Can you give me directions to the nearest town?"

"Step out of the car." The soldier barked.

"That's okay, I'll find my own way." Kyle stated.

"Get out of the car!" The soldier released the safety.

Kyle did what he was told. He trembled a little bit, remembering the pain of the last time he got shot. Kyle also remembered he wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for Max. All he wanted to do was run and not look back but he owed Max. Plus Max, Isabel and Maria were coming soon.

The soldier shined a flashlight in the back seat. "Pop the trunk."

"It doesn't work. I need the key." Kyle leaned in slowly, keeping one of his hands in sight, and grabbed the key from the ignition. He walked to the back of the car. He dropped the key. He reached for the key and dropped it again. Kyle finally picked up the key in a trembling hand. "Sorry."

"Give me that." The soldier put the gun away and grabbed the key.

Kyle, seeing his opportunity, tackled the soldier to the ground. The soldier's head hit the pavement hard, knocking him out. Kyle removed the soldier's clothes and was handcuffing him as his friends came out of the woods.

"What took you so long?" Kyle asked. He was proud of the fact he didn't need Max or Isabel.

"Good job, Kyle." Max went into the guardhouse and opened the gate. He then destroyed the equipment so it couldn't be closed again. Kyle went into the woods to change.

"How's the fit?" Isabel asked as Kyle came out of the woods.

"Kind of tight." Kyle pulled the shirt from his neck. He was amazed the man was able to support that huge head given the small the neck size. He motioned to Max and patted his own shoulder. "Come on, get on board." Max shrugged and did what he was told.

Kyle walked toward the base with Max over one shoulder while the women waited under cover. They decided it would be too suspicious to have one lone soldier capture two aliens.

"I caught one of the aliens!" Kyle cried out as he stepped into the base's Security Police building. "Sneaking on the base. He knocked out the guard at the gate."

"What?" The soldier at the desk jumped up. "What do we do?"

"Call some men up here before he wakes up." Kyle barked. He put Max on the floor in front of the desk. "Now!" The soldier did as he was asked.

Kyle heard running and five soldiers rushed into the lobby.

"What's going on?" One of the soldiers asked. The soldier at the desk squinted at Kyle. "You know, I don't remember you coming in here with the rest of us. Who are you?" Max jumped to his feet and used his power to shove the five soldiers into the wall knocking them out. He turned to the desk soldier. "He's my friend." Max said.

Kyle slammed the desk soldier to the floor and handcuffed and gagged him. Being the son of the sheriff, he had learned things as a kid that they just didn't teach in school.

"Handcuff the others." Max peered at the security cameras trying to locate Michael and Jack.

"Did you find them?" Kyle stuffed a gag into the last man.

"Yes." Max pointed to one of the screens. He didn't see them but there were two soldiers outside a door.

"Where's the rest of the enemy?" Kyle nervously plucked at the collar of his shirt. "Isabel said there was thirty."

"Don't know." Max frowned at the different screens trying to locate the other twenty-four or five men.

Max signaled for Isabel and Maria to join them. Kyle dragged the handcuffed men to small conference room, he found, just off the small lobby.

"Kyle, stay here." Max said. "We'll be back as soon as possible."

They walked through the building watching for any unexpected attacks. Maria was the first one who saw the two guards. It didn't take long to incapacitate them. They dragged the two men in the room and tied them up.

"Michael." Maria rushed to where Michael laid. She shook him gently by the shoulder. When he didn't wake, she shook him harder.

Max put his hand on Michael.

"What's wrong with him?" Maria both afraid and furious started petting his hair.

"Drugged." Max answered. "I can't do anything."

"Max." Isabel knelt down by the other bed. Jack was curled in a loose fetal position. She fought the rage to hurt the men the way Jack had been hurt.

"My God." Max breathed. The others echoed the sentiment silently. Max was horrified at the broken body of the boy. He placed his hand on the back of Jack's neck and began the healing processing. Ten minutes later Jack's last injury was healed.

"Jack." Isabel shook his shoulder. Isabel jerked back as Jack swung his fist at her. Fortunately for her, Jack, while healed of his injuries, was still weak from his ordeal and missed her by a few feet.

"Jack." Isabel put her hand on his back.

"Carter." Jack grabbed her hand clumsily and placed it on his cheek.

"No, it's Isabel." Isabel said. "You have to wake up. We can't carry you."

"Isabel?" Jack peered up at her. He pulled himself to a sitting position with Isabel's help.

Maria and Max pulled Michael up while Isabel assisted Jack to the door. Isabel took over for Max when Jack was able to walk on his own. They headed back to the front. Kyle jumped up and they all headed out of the building. The night was eerily quiet. Every snap of a twig felt like a trap closing in on them. Finally, they saw the van with Liz waiting beside it.

Many hours and several states later, they ended up at a Motel 6 in North Carolina. Jack woke up enough to wash up and change into some borrowed sweats. He looked around the room at kids sprawled out on the bed and floor like discarded clothes. He grabbed his blanket and found an empty spot.

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Jack walked out of the motel flinching at the morning sun. He saw the group.

"Hi." Jack headed over to them with a disarming grin. "Find a place to eat? Doesn't even have to be good."

"Come, there's a park nearby." Max entered the van. The others followed.

"Great, another interrogation." Jack thought as he entered the van.

After being introduced to the rest of the group, they headed off to the park.

Jack ate another piece of bread humming just under his breath. He didn't remember when he had last eaten. The others looked at him with fascination. He was the first person healed by Max that didn't ask at least one question about it.

"So you're aliens." Jack patted his stomach.

"Only three of us." Isabel answered. "Max, Michael and me. What are you?"

"A clone." Jack answered.

"What?" Liz looked at him with amazement. "Human cloning process is not that advanced."

"Oh, I didn't know that." Jack smiled innocently.

"Jack cut the act." Isabel snapped at him. "Here's the deal. We'll answer your questions, if you'll answer ours."

"There are some things I can't tell you." Jack said. "But, okay, deal."

They all looked at each other with a touch of disbelief, when all the stories were told.

"Okay you're telling me you're a disposed king from Antar, a galaxy far, far away." Jack recapped. "You're his sister, the princess, Isabel, and you, Michael, are his general. Unbelievable."

"You're not much better." Maria claimed. "An advance race cloned an Air Force Colonel because he's the next step in human evolution and possibly the savior of their civilization."

"Unfortunately, I'm not the answer to their problem." Jack looked a little sad. He was truly fond of those little guys.

"What about the ring of water?" Isabel asked.

"Classified." Jack for a moment appeared every inch an Air Force colonel.

"You said there were thirty men." Kyle stated. The others looked at Kyle surprised at the shift in the conversation. "Well I want to know what happened to all the men."

"There were thirty." Jack said in smug tone. "I knew Major Riley would head out when I told him where you were. "

"You sent him on a wild goose chase." Michael was impressed. He didn't know if he could take such a beating and still have the ability to manipulate the situation to his advantage.

"How did you know he go for it?" Max asked.

"He's a glory hound." Jack answered with a cynical expression. He had met several Major Rileys in the Air Force. "He had to be the one to catch you. I made sure he had to interrogate really hard before he finally believed my story about you being at my cabin."

The others nodded, looking at Jack with gratitude, remembering how badly he'd been beaten...for them.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Isabel looked disappointed.

"Better to expect thirty men and only have ten to deal with." Jack answered. "Than to expect ten and have thirty."

"You can't go back to your old life." Isabel told Jack.

"Don't worry about me." Jack's eyes glittered vengefully. "Once the original O'Neill and his commander find out I was kidnapped by these ass..., Bozos, well, let's just say Major Riley's problems are just beginning."

"Are you going to tell them about us?" Max considered what to do about the mini Air Force colonel.

"No." Jack understood Max's dilemma. "I wish you would come forward but I understand why you don't."

"I'm sorry." Isabel said.

"I know." Jack put his hand on hers. "Trust comes with time."

"And we have the time." Max stated. The rest, including Jack, nodded.

THE END


	2. Chapter 2

THE ALLIANCE - PART 2

By Eliza Hayes

"It's SG-3." Silar confirmed the incoming code. At General O'Neill's nod of approval, he opened the Iris and Captain Morris came through the gate.

"What happened, Captain?" O'Neill headed toward Morris. "Where's the rest of your team."

"They're assisting the people of P8R-139" Morris stated. "They're at war with the Goa'uld. So far they're holding their own but Khivar, the leader of Antar wants to meet with you."

"Debriefing in a half hour." O'Neill snapped.

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Daniel, Teal'c and Carter watched the impressive sight of Nem rising from the sea. He walked majestically towards looking like a combination creature from the black lagoon and a king in his robes.

"Nem." Daniel greeted.

"Daniel Jackson." Nem answered. "What fate Sha'uri?"

Daniel's face fell. "Dead."

"May your sorrows lighten in time." Nem placed his hand on Daniel's shoulder.

"Thank you." Daniel felt Sha'uri's death like a hammer. He feared this would happen considering what happened to Nem's mate.

Carter gave them a moment feeling like a voyeur before getting to the heart of the matter. "Nem, our current leadership would like to open a dialogue with your people."

"Perhaps in time." After a short pause, Nem continued. "You have barely thrown off the your bondage to the Goa'uld. And that fate is still in your potential future."

"We have won many battles." Teal'c replied. "And destroyed a great many of the System Lords' forces."

"A good start." Nem nodded with approval. "Omoroca would be pleased with your efforts. Perhaps when you recovered from your subjugation, we will consider it."

Carter wondered briefly how many thousands of years Nem would consider as sufficient time to heal the hurt of Goa'uld's enslavement. None in the SGC thought this mission would be a success. And knowing the time span of Nem's race, she doubted that she would see any sort of dialog opening between their races in her lifetime.

"We understand." Daniel stated handing Nem a communicator. "Please accept this gift. When you feel we are ready you may contact us with this device. All you need to do is open the gate and press this button."

"Thank you." Nem graciously accepted the gift. He wondered at the duration of the device. It looked like it wouldn't last a century.

Static interrupted the moment. "Colonel Carter."

"Sergeant Silar." Carter clicked her radio. "Is everything okay."

"General O'Neill needs you back here right now."

"Okay. ETA in 15 minutes." Carter responded.

Daniel turned to apologize to Nem but saw him dive into the waves and disappear. Carter and Teal'c kept Daniel between them as they headed back remembering the time they saw him die here.

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General O'Neill, the SG-1 team and Captain Morris stood in their dress uniforms waiting for their guests to enter the conference room. Moments later three humanoid figures, one woman and two men arrived with SG-3.

"I thought you said they weren't human." O'Neill stared pointedly at Morris.

"They aren't ... they weren't." Morris stammered a little unnerved.

"Later." O'Neill said turning toward the party. "Welcome to Earth."

"I'm Khivar, the leader of Antar." Khivar claimed waving his hand toward a stunning woman, who was almost a twin of Isabelle, and a sturdy young man. "This is my wife Sidonay and my advisor Larik."

"I'm General O'Neill, leader of the Stargate Project." O'Neill waved Morris and SG-1. "You know Captain Morris. And this is Colonel Carter, our scientific advisor."

"Nice to meet you." Carter held out her hand. A few moments later she retrieved it unshaken looking a little embarrassed.

"This is Dr. Jackson." O'Neill still had his first contact face on but on the inside he was angry at Carter's treatment. "He's our expert on different cultures. And this is Teal'c."

"He's Jaffa." Larik observed the marking on Teal'c's forehead.

"I no longer serve false gods." Teal'c stated. Larik nodded while Khivar and Sidonay looked disinterested.

Although Teal'c said it an hundred times over the last eight years, he spoke in serious dignified tones that never failed to impress O'Neill. O'Neill knew that Teal'c would make a better General then him. It was a damn shame that the U.S. government would never let an alien head the SGC. Besides it's a moot point, Teal'c never officially joined the military.

"Please sit down." O'Neill gestured to Antarians toward the chairs.

"We were surprised when humans came through the Gods' door." Khivar informed. "We didn't think you would leave your solar system for at least another hundred years."

"So you've been here before." Daniel slipped in. "Is that why you look like us?"

"We find that it's comforting to 'younger' species, if we look like them." Sidonay said.

"It seems like you're technologically more advanced." O'Neill decided to forgo the diplomacy. He was aggravated by Sidonay's tone. "What do you want?"

"Many years ago, our galaxy was ruled by a tyrant." Khivar started. "In time, we fought a Great War and regained our independence."

"I see." O'Neill wondered where this Antar history lesson was going.

"Although, we've killed our oppressor and his family. The old king's allies took their DNA and came to Earth." Khivar continued.

"What!" O'Neill barked. "Where are these allies?"

"Most of them died when their ship crash landed in Roswell, New Mexico." Larik said.

"Roswell." All the humans said in disbelief.

"Those traitors made several abominations created with the Royal Four's DNA and human DNA." Khivar curled his lips in disgust.

O'Neill sat back for once shocked into to silence. To discover not only was the story of aliens crashing in Roswell real but there was alien hybrids running around.

"How did they do that?" Carter asked. All this would have fascinated Janet, Carter thought sadly, wishing she was here with them now.

"That isn't important." Khivar replied, not wanting to admit he didn't know. "What's important is the hybrids are dangerous."

"Your concern for us is touching." O'Neill stated. Carter and Daniel winced at the statement. "But as I asked before, what do you want from us."

"We want you to catch the hybrids." Khivar lowered his voice.

"You have space flight and you've been here before." Daniel had poised his pen above his notebook. "Why haven't you come and got them yourself."

"They're extremely powerful." Larik stated. "Together the Royal Four are almost invincible."

"Forgive my bluntness but I doubt your concern for our welfare is motivating this desire to catch these hybrids." O'Neill leaned back in his chair.

Khivar was a bit surprised by the lack of concern shown by these humans about potential aliens in their midst. Most humans he had met were extremely xenophobic and paranoid. He didn't take into account that these humans were roaming the galaxy meeting up with aliens, good and bad, on a daily basis.

"We have a weapon but only one of the royal line can use it." Khivar finally answered. "It can potentially destroy all the Goa'uld."

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"So what do you think?" O'Neill asked as they watched the Antarians disappear into the event horizon.

"They haven't told us the whole story." Daniel stated.

"You think." O'Neill snapped back. He was both exasperated and amused by Daniel's persistent stating of the obvious.

"What about the weapon?" Carter asked. "Do you really think only the hybrids can work it?"

"The Ancients built weapons only they or their descendants could use." Daniel mused. "It is conceivable that the Royal Four could be the only ones capable of using the weapon."

"Without that precaution, it could be used against them." Teal'c stated.

"Not something you want an enemy to use against you." O'Neill thinking out loud. For some reason, beyond the disrespect Khivar shown to Carter, he didn't trust the Antarians. "A weapon that can destroy the Goa'uld must be extremely powerful.

"Interesting that Sidonay looks just like Vilandra." Daniel changed the subject. He pulled out the pictures and glanced at the attractive teenagers. The young woman was absolutely stunning.

"I'll say." Carter took one of the photos from Daniel. "Vilandra and Khivar had history. Poor Sidonay definitely not the first choice in mates."

TWO MONTHS LATER

Hasten, Nebraska

"Hello, anyone here." Maria entered the campsite with Michael. She kicked off her shoes with a sigh of relief. Maria was glad to be off work after putting in over ten hours at the Colossal Supermarket. Her feet throbbed with every beat of her heart.

"Hi guys." Isabel walked to the edge of the tiny fire. "I made some tomato soup. Want any?"

"Sure." Maria went and sat down at a small picnic table at the edge of the campsite.

Michael nodded collapsing on the bench, exhausted. He had spent the day stocking the shelves at Colossal. He was relieved the day was done. The night crept into the woods making trees cast shadows that looked like claws grabbing at the night. A low booming noise broke the stillness.

"Rain." Maria glanced upward at the stars glimmering between the open spaces of the trees.

"Doesn't feel like thunder." Michael said.

"Here, before it starts." Isabel placed two bowls of soup, spoons and tabasco sauce on the table. She turned up the oil-fed lantern.

Maria watched Isabel eat daintily for a few minutes before asking. "How's Jack?"

"How should I know?" Isabel paused for a brief moment her spoon held half way to her mouth.

"What planet are you from?" Maria teased. She personally saw Isabel make three phone calls to Jack. "You call him or he calls you at least once a week since we left Virginia."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Isabel started eating again. She was good at hiding her reaction but, after a two years of riding with her, Maria knew her.

"That little cell phone," Maria laughed. "The one Jack gave us in Virginia."

Before Isabel could respond, she and the others heard the van speeding toward them. Making its characteristic knocking noise when it went more than 75 miles an hour. A moment later, it appeared with Kyle at the wheel. Kyle rolled down the window and poked his head out.

"Get in!" Kyle said. One look at Kyle's face Maria put her shoes back on as Michael got into the van without any questions. She and Isabel climbed in on either side of the van.

"What's wrong?" Maria grabbed hold of the seat in front of her to get a better look at Kyle.

"The train jumped its track at the station." Kyle pushed the gas pedal down to the floor. "I've never seen anything like it. It's horrible!"

"Max?" Isabel felt her heart beating double-time. Max worked at the station loading and unloading shipments.

"Liz can't find him." Kyle responded. He remembered a time when he would be happy to know his rival was missing. But now, his stomach was knotted and he felt like he was going to throw up at any moment. "She asked me to get you to help search."

They drove the rest of the way in silence each fearing that Max was dying. They knew from experience that they could tell if Max were dead. The van was stopped several blocks away from the station by a roadblock. Kyle turned around as directed and parked at the one of the nearby stores' last parking places. They got out and ran the rest of the way.

What met their eyes was grotesque nightmare of broken people and metal. The station was crushed by the front of the train. The rest of the train looked like some huge child had pushed the train over.

"By the time I got here, Liz had already searched inside the station." Kyle rubbed his stomach, his face pale. "He wasn't there."

"She shouldn't have gone in there." Maria looked at the station. The southwest wall was precariously supporting most of the stone building. She was amazed it was still standing.

"Isabel, you and Kyle go down one side of the train." Michael squeezed Isabel's shoulder. "Maria and I will search the other side."

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Jack wondered for the hundredth time how he ended up here. He told the original Colonel O'Neill that he wanted to do something that the original would never do---repeat high school. He must have been crazed. He never thought he would be in a small classroom after normal school hours talking about their next science project.

Dr. Trent led the discussion on next year's project. Jack hoped it was another flying machine. Anything else would be boring as far as he was concerned.

"Jack, I understand you know Dr. Samantha Carter?" Trent asked. "The astrophysicist."

"Yes." Jack responded after a brief hesitation. He wasn't use to thinking of Major ... Colonel Carter as a scientist.

"Do you think she will let us use her radio telescope?" Dr. Trent looked hopefully at Jack.

Jack's lips quirked upwards. Sam did think of the telescope as her baby. "I don't know." Although, the telescope was housed outside the security boundaries of Cheyenne Mountain and the SGC's cover, it still contained some sensitive information. "I'll ask."

"That'll be perfect for the project." Denise beamed. Everybody but Jack and Nigel nodded enthusiastically.

"I still think we should choose another project." Nigel frowned into his laptop.

Jack was getting ready to ask what the project was considering no one thought to inform him, when he felt something on the edge of his mind. He stood up and walked to the classroom's window. He had an urge to call Isabel. It was so strong his hand groped for his cell. Jack heard the murmur of the geeks in the background.

"What if we discovered that aliens were actually trying to contact us?" Dennis asked. "Think how much they can teach us."

"That will definitely earn us an award, if not the Nobel Peace Prize." Denise stated. "I can't wait to design the program. I'm sure I can increase the range of the signal."

"They probably want to take over the planet like the GUA." Nigel responded. "If it wasn't for..."

"The GUA aren't real." Dr. Trent interrupted.

"Jack." Mark noticed Jack rubbing his forehead as he peered out of the classroom window. "What do you think?"

"Jack!" Dr. Trent's voice raised to almost a yell. Jack jumped glancing back at his classmates and teacher. Jack looked as if he was in pain. Instantly, his face shifted back to normal.

"Jack, what do you think of aliens taking over the world?" Mark asked with a huge grin.

"Excuse me." Jack wondered when he entered the Twilight Zone.

"We treat this planet like our personal dumping ground." Denise stated. "Maybe it should go to someone that respects it."

Something in Jack snapped, the SGC saved the world several times from the Goa'uld and the replicators to have this young girl to even consider handing their world over. Jack walked up to where Denise was sitting and grabbed her laptop. He appeared formidable standing there with the computer in his left hand. "I want this."

"Its mine." Denise cried trying to snatch it back from Jack. Jack shoved her back in her seat with his right hand. His left held the laptop above his head. The rest of the people sat stunned and intimidated.

"This is your second one this year." Jack growled. "You don't deserve it."

"Give it back, Jack." Dr. Trent snapped. She stood up, ready to take the laptop from Jack.

"Amazing you would fight for your laptop but not your world." Jack relaxed back to normal putting the laptop back on Denise's desk. Or at least as normal as he could with a pounding headache and an irrational fear that something happened to Isabel and the rest of the Roswell group.

"Bastard." Denise snarled checking her computer out.

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It was a nightmare world. The train wreckage scattered along the tracks intermingled with people dead or dying. Isabel and Kyle cautiously walked along the path not wanting to step on the people lying haphazardly on the ground. The worst of it was the overwhelming coppery smell. It amazed Kyle that he smelled the blood even over the smoldering train.

The small emergency crew was overwhelmed by the sheer scope of the damage. Isabel and Kyle were handed bandages by the rescue teams.

"Mommy." A young girl whimpered half her face covered in blood. Her arms raised towards Isabel.

"I'll keep looking for Max." Kyle said as Isabel knelt down taking the little girl's hand in hers.

A little while later later, Kyle bent over to check on an older Indian woman lying on the ground. He noticed her arm was bleeding. Kyle wrapped the bandage tight around the wound and wrapped another strip of cloth tightly around her upper arm to prevent her from bleeding out. He almost couldn't bear to see her struggle to get away from him.

A couple of emergency people rushed up and loaded the woman onto the stretcher.

Kyle stood up to start his search again. "I'm Jason. And this is Carl. Are you injured?" Jason pointed to his blood soak shirt.

"No, it's not mine." Kyle looked down at his shirt. He wondered if he could afford to burn it.

"I guess the angel missed this one." Carl's mouth twisted in a grim smile.

"Not much of an angel." Jason said in a bitter tone. He has been at the job for only an hour but he seen more death today than he has for the past month. And it wasn't pretty. Jason saw a discarded leg crushed beyond repair, people with metal shoved through their bodies and the worst was one unfortunate soul that the only thing keeping her alive was the pressure of the railroad car on her. The most that had ever happened in Hasten was bar fights and occasional accidental deaths. A disaster like this was beyond anything in the town's history.

"The angel?" Kyle repeated. Kyle hoped the angel wasn't Max but knowing in his heart it was.

"A boy came and started healing people. Or so I'm told." Carl carried the woman back to the ambulance with Jason's assistance.

"Where's the boy now?" Kyle asked trying not to appear too interested. Jason rushed to the back of the ambulance.

"In a coma at Western Hospital." Carl started the ambulance. He waved at Kyle as he drove off.

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"General O'Neill!" Sergeant Silar rushed into the office as General O'Neill sat at his desk talking quietly on the phone. "Sorry sir."

"Okay, Washington. In three weeks with the Reeto Central Alliance." O'Neill scribbled a note on a pad in front of him.

Silar was shaking with excitement of his news. Waiting impatiently for General O'Neill to end his call.

"I look forward to seeing you again, Mr. President." O'Neill said. "Say hello to the wife and kids."

O'Neill hung up and glared at Silar. "Is there a problem with my door?"

"Sir?" Silar responded in confusion.

"Would knocking damage it?" O'Neill asked in a cutting tone.

"No sir." Silar blushed in embarrassment.

"Well, what is it?" O'Neill demanded.

"We found one of them. Zan, Max Evans." Silar answered. "They're right across the border in a small town called Hasten, Nebraska."

"Call SG-1." O'Neill picked up the phone to call the helicopter. They could be almost anywhere in Nebraska in under an hour.

"Already done. They have three helicopters ready." Silar stated. He hoped his promptness would cut through General O'Neill's exasperation.

"Very good. Dismissed." O'Neill tore off the message from the President. Silar turned toward the door. "And Sergeant, next time, knock!"

"Yes sir." Silar went back to his station with a sigh of relief.

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Max was beside Liz. Tubes sprouted from his body. She tried to wake him up several times during the past hour with no luck. She reached for the phone on the nightstand.

"Isabel." She knew the Air Force was coming to get him at any moment.

"Liz, where are you?" Isabel asked. "Max is at the hospital."

"It's too late." Liz heard feet marching toward the hospital room. "The Air Force is here."

"What?" Isabel cried. "We're almost there."

"Leave! You can't do anything." Liz said as the doorknob turned. "They're here."

"Liz!" Isabel yelled as Liz hung up the phone.

The door flung open and several men and women came through pointing guns. Liz stood in front of Max's bed trying to protect him.

"Come here, miss." A black woman in uniform barked as she pointed the weapon at Liz.

Liz shook her head.

The guns clicked ominously. Liz maintained her stance. She wasn't going to allow the soldiers to hurt Max if she could help it.

"For crying out loud." An older man in uniform stood at the door. "Stand down!"

The soldiers jerked back in surprise. Liz looked at the older man. She had a strange feeling that she knew him from someplace.

"I'm General Jack O'Neill." O'Neill stated with a soothing tone. He was a little put out that the team went in like Rambo. There were enough injuries already and if Roswell aliens were as powerful as Khivar stated they could potentially cause more destruction if threaten. "Who are you?"

"I'm Liz Evans, Max's wife." Liz started in surprise. So this is what the original Jack looked like. She was kind of surprised he was so old. Jack seemed nearer their age not her parents'. "Why are you here?"

"We're concerned about aliens running around the US without a green card." O'Neill stated. "Especially ones that can blow up Air Force installations."

"Max would never..." Liz stopped deciding that it was better not to say anything further. Somehow she wanted to trust him like she trusted Jack but Jack had history with Max and the others. General O'Neill didn't.

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The van parked at a truck stop ten minutes from the hospital. Kyle and Isabel were sitting up front with Maria and Michael in the seats behind them.

"We should go to the hospital and break Liz and Max out." Michael demanded glaring at Isabel.

"Are you an idiot?" Isabel yelled at him, the stress of the situation was getting to her. "They could kill Max and Liz before we can get to them."

"We can't stay here." Maria said. "They'll block off all the roads."

"I can go in." Kyle tugged on his bloody shirt to emphasize. "I'll be one more train wreck survivor. I'll check to see where they're taking Max and Liz."

"It's dangerous, Kyle." Isabel turned toward Kyle. It was hard to believe that this was the same person that caused Max to be beaten up.

"I know." Kyle left the van and stood peering in the side window. "I'll meet up with you at Denton. Call my father, he may have some contacts that could help."

"I'll come with you." Maria opened the door.

"No!" Michael grabbed Maria's arm. "I won't allow it!"

"Michael, you're not my boss." Maria lifted her chin. Everybody in the car knew this meant an argument of epic proportions.

"Someone in the hospital might recognize you, Maria." Isabel restrained herself from knocking their two heads together. "Especially if you went to the hospital with Kyle." She held out her hand to Kyle. "Be careful! We'll meet at your father's new place, tomorrow."

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"Max and Liz Evans are being flown to the mountain as we speak." Carter stood in the middle of Max's old hospital room.

"Good! Are all the roads blocked?" O'Neill asked.

"No, most of sheriff and State police are working the train wreck." Carter answered. "It will take another 30 minutes for the our forces to block off the back roads."

"Damn!" O'Neill looked out the window seeing the hospital personnel and other multitude of injured being rushed in like the tide. "Bring more men to assist with the train wreck."

"Yes sir." Carter headed out the door.

"Make sure they keep and eye out for the rest of the 'Royal Four'." O'Neill said. He still looked out the windows. He seen so many battlefields but somehow this was worst though he couldn't say how.

"Yes sir." Carter closed the door behind her.

O'Neill debated whether he should stay or go back to Cheyenne Mountain. Before he could decide on a course of action he heard a commotion outside the door. O'Neill stepped out of the room.

"You're not allowed here." One of his men pointed a gun at the young man with his head wrapped in a bloody bandage.

"What's going on here, Bryant?" O'Neill questioned.

"General O'Neill, he was trying to enter the room." Bryant straightened up automatically.

"I'm looking for my wife." Kyle's voice quavered. His heart was pounding in his chest. He noticed the General's eyes looked like Jack's. "No one knows where's she is. Her name's Heather, Heather Gleick. She's 5'5'' dark hair and eyes."

"I'm sorry, son." O'Neill patted Kyle on the shoulder. "Have you checked down at the front desk?"

"I ... okay. I'll try again." Kyle started crying. He was a little surprised at the tears. He hardly knew Miss September. "Thank you." Kyle walked slowly towards the front lobby. He felt the eyes boring into his back. It was a dangerous maneuver but it paid off.

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Jack's two-bedroom apartment with a huge fireplace was an illusion of home. Bookshelves filled to overflowing with books, hand-made pottery and a framed poster of the Smallville Torch paper hung over the fireplace. Except for the picture of Isabel and him and the small picture of the SG-1 team in the early days, Jack had nothing personal in the apartment.

The three people that broke in could care less about the ambience of Jack's apartment. All they concentrated on was finding Jack. They searched room by room until they reached the main bedroom.

"He's not here!" Isabel whispered to Michael and Sheriff Valenti.

"Isabel." The overhead light came on flooding the bedroom with a bright light blinding the three people until their eyes adjusted.

Sheriff Valenti noticed a young boy with light brown hair and dark eyes standing at the entrance of the bedroom. When he realized how they all walked on by him without knowing it, he realized how dangerous the boy was.

Just as suddenly as the light being flicked on, Jack found himself slammed into the right wall of his bedroom.

"Where's Max?" Isabel cried banging Jack against the opposite wall.

"I don't know." Jack said after catching his breath.

"Why did you call us seventeen times over the last two days?" Michael growled barely restraining himself from using his powers.

"Don't know, felt something was wrong." Jack blushed. He was uncomfortable discussing something that he couldn't nail down. And the low-grade headache and the feeling something was wrong the past couple of days definitely fell into that category.

"You led Max and Liz into a trap." Valenti stated.

"What!" Jack asked. "What happened?"

"General O'Neill came and took Max and Liz from the hospital." Isabel's voice went up a few decibels.

"Max is a healer." Jack was reminded forcibly of being Ba'al's prisoner.

"There was a train accident." Valenti answered. "While the group was helping people, your people came and took Max and Liz."

"You betrayed us." Isabel threw him against the other wall.

"No! If I betrayed you then, one, all of you would be captured." Jack snapped getting tired of being tossed around like a rag doll. "Two, it certainly wouldn't be in a hospital where there is a risk of higher casualties. And three, I could have done it at any time since Virginia. Why pick a risky time when obviously we missed two-thirds of the group?"

"How could..." Michael began.

"The phone. I could trace your movements every time you called me." Jack stated. His face hard, the Colonel came out of hiding behind the boy. "It probably would be after the train accident was cleaned up when you all were exhausted mentally and physically. My team and I would have followed you to your hotel or campsite, wait a few hours for you to settle down for the night and catch you all unaware."

Jack slipped down the wall when Isabel released him from her mental grip. Jack put his hand on his dresser to steady himself.

"What are you doing?" Michael shouted. "Jack betrayed us."

"He's right." Valenti stepped in front of Michael. "If he planned this, catching you afterwards would have been the way to do it."

"Liz could have told us." Michael began but he fell silent. He realized with Max in a coma there was a good chance that Liz would be too worried and worn out to get her normal flashes of the future.

"What happened?" Jack walked over towards Isabel.

"How did the General O'Neill know about us?" Michael rubbed his tired eyes.

"I don't know. I didn't tell Jack anything." Jack turned to Isabel. "Max saved my life. I wouldn't betray him or you unless you became a threat to this world."

"Can you help us?" Isabel asked.

"Let's go into the other room." Jack led Isabel out the room. "Let me fix you some tea or coffee. I even have coffee ice cream. And you can give me a run down on what happened."

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O'Neill and SG-1 stood in the observation room while the doctors monitored Liz and Max in the hospital room below.

"We have to contact Khivar." Carter observed Liz tenderly holding Max's hand.

"Do we?" O'Neill responded.

"They are at war with the Goa'uld." Carter answered. "We have the person that can control the weapon."

"And it's a direct order from General Hammond." Daniel said.

"You're a find one to talk orders. Look at him. He's in a coma!" O'Neill gestured towards the unmoving figure lying on the bed. The white bedding made Max look even worst than he was if that was possible. "What do you think he can do!"

"The Antarians might be able to assist him." Teal'c pointed out.

"I doubt Khivar has Zan's best interest at heart." O'Neill and SG-1 stepped into the other room. "How is he?"

"No change." The doctor straightened up. "His brain waves are flat. It's possible he's brain dead."

Liz made a slight noise.

O'Neill and the SG-1 team glared at the spectacularly unsympathetic doctor. It was during these times that Janet was sorely missed. O'Neill turned to Liz his gaze softening. "Liz, isn't it?"

"Why don't you let us go." Liz said. "We haven't done anything wrong."

"Your husband is in a coma." Carter said in a gentle voice. "He is better off here. We have the best med..."

"He better off with his family." Liz interrupted. "You don't understand him. You don't understand us."

"What do you mean?" Daniel asked, curious about the certainty in Liz's voice. "Has this happened before?"

"We're stronger together." Liz glared at them. "You'll find that out."

Teal'c's eyebrows raised at that statement.

"You're tired. Doctor, get another bed in here." O'Neill gestured to doctor and SG-1 to leave the room. "You haven't slept in over two days. Try to get some rest."

In that moment Liz, saw Jack in General O'Neill. Liz nodded trusting the General for now. Really she had no choice at the moment. But she knew that would change. The others were coming.

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Jack sat in the cafeteria surrounded by SG-1. He wished he never came back. He missed the SG-1 team more now in the midst of them than when he was alone at home.

"Congratulations on your award." Carter laughed at Jack, rubbing it in. "That one of NASA's highest awards for young scientists."

Jack scowled at Carter. "It's not funny!"

"Jack O'Neill, scientist." Daniel chimed in. "Who would have thought that underneath that military uniform beats the heart of a scientist."

"For crying out loud!" Jack said beneath his breath. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. His foot kicked over his backpack. "I knew I shouldn't have accepted the award."

O'Neill stepped up to the table with his lunch. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to talk to you and Sam." Jack bent over to right his backpack as O'Neill set his lunch down.

"Well?" O'Neill asked.

"Dr. Trent wanted me to ask if we can use your radio telescope for our next science project." Jack popped a piece of cake in his mouth.

"Interesting." Daniel gave a quick grin. "Think anybody will answer?"

"Yeah, I hate telling them it's a waste of time." Jack said. "Most aren't worth talking to. Well, GENERAL O'Neill will you allow the baby geeks access?"

"Sure." O'Neill looked at Jack thoughtfully. O'Neill knew himself pretty well and Jack wasn't telling him everything. "Want to see my new office?"

"Sure." Jack said in an enthusiastic tone.

"We'll catch up." O'Neill said.

The rest of the team moved their heads between the two O'Neills like they were watching a tennis match. They knew neither O'Neill was the least bit interested in catching up. O'Neill was too weirded out by the whole teenage clone with his memories. And Jack still coveted the original's life.

"Can I go see Janet's..." Jack started, feeling guilty using Janet's death in this way. He knew with Max being in a coma, Liz and Max would be in one of the hospital rooms. "I want to say goodbye."

O'Neill observed Jack picking up the small light Janet insisted on flashing in his eyes during what he referred to as the 'Groundhog Day' mission.

Jack set down his backpack to play with the light. His smile was bittersweet. "Still have nightmares about this light. Like golfing with Teal'c though."

"Can't believe I got him to try it." O'Neill commented. In some ways it was unnerving how in tune they were even after two years.

"Ever tempted to use the Ancient's machine and go back. You know ... after Janet's death." Jack asked.

"You know the answer to that!" O'Neill bit out.

"Yeah, I know." Jack answered, placing the light back on the shelf. "She was the best of us."

"Sorry you weren't here." O'Neill moved to the door.

"No you're not." Jack laughed, following him to the hallway. "Shouldn't lie to yourself."

"You're not me." O'Neill felt exposed a common experience with a duplicate.

"It's only been two years, we don't change that fast." Jack walked into the observation room. "Remember when Janet found the cure to the Goa'uld virus even during a psychotic episode. Whoa ... recruiting a bit young, aren't you?"

"That's classified." O'Neill shoved Jack lightly through the door, angry at Jack's ability to get to him.

"Hey!" Jack cried out. "Jeez, I'm coming! I don't remember being such a bas..."

"As much as I loved strolling down memory lane, why are you here?" O'Neill interrupted Jack.

"It's about Virginia, I haven't told you everything." Jack started. He was going to say more when the alarm started sounding.

"Unscheduled Off World Activation." Both O'Neills took off down the hall toward the Stargate.

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"Lieutenant Torkel take Jack to Conference Room 7." O'Neill said to a gawky young man with a face that seemed to explode with freckles.

"Yes sir." Torkel squeaked thrilled at the honor of General O'Neill speaking to him.

"Spoilsport." Jack said at the same time.

"It's from Antar ." Silar said when Jack and Torkel left the room.

"Open the iris." O'Neill commanded. It was one of the many times in his career that O'Neill felt he shouldn't obey orders from a commanding officer.

Khivar came through the Stargate with soldiers. Larik was on the left of him and Sidonay on his right.

"We've heard you captured Zan." Khivar stated with barely contained glee.

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"I left my backpack in the infirmary."

"General O'Neill wants you at Conference Room 7." Torkel stated like it came from the mouth of God. His hand rested on the gun.

"Listen if you think I'm going to wait for heaven knows how long in that tiny room without my gameboy." Jack shook his head in disgust. "I'm sure his generalship will forgive a slight detour to pick up my BACKPACK before going to the conference room."

"Alright but don't touch anything else." Torkel said in a serious tone that slipped to the other side of pompous.

Jack was about to comment but thought better of it. After all, he got what he wanted, a chance to see Liz and Max again. Jack hoped to better look at Max so he could tell Isabel and the others how he was doing. He also wanted to talk to O'Neill about Liz and Max.

"It's in there." Jack opened the door. As Jack picked up his backpack, he heard Liz's scream.

Lieutenant Torkel pulled his gun and rushed out the door. Jack wasn't far behind him.

"Lieutenant Torkel stand down!" O'Neill commanded.

"What the hell!" Jack's jaw dropped, in disbelief, when he saw Isabel in between a couple of strangers. He almost called her name but realized immediately there was none of that connection between them.

"No!" Liz said struggling with two soldiers as several men rolled Max out of the room. She turned to Jack getting ready to ask for his help when Khivar interrupted before she began.

"We're going to take his wife." Khivar nodded to Sedoney. Sedoney grabbed Liz's arm.

"Not going to happen." General O'Neill did a nod of his own. The soldiers shifted the gun toward Khivar and the rest of the Antarians. "She is one of ours."

"O'Neill, you can't let Khivar take Max." Jack stepped forward. "He's special, a healer."

"We'll speak of this later." O'Neill bit out each word trying to cover his surprise that his clone knew Max and Liz. "Lieutenant, take Jack to the brig."

Jack reached out to comfort Liz. The stress caused Liz to lose control her power at the same time pulling Jack's power to her like an iron rod drawing electricity. Jack sagged against Max's bed. A light came from Jack and Liz striking everybody. They all dropped like a bunch of rag dolls.

"You killed them." Jack growled pushing himself up. He stepped unsteadily towards Carter and Teal'c.

"We need to save Max." Liz paled at the thought. She looked away from the bodies to Jack who glared at her. She shoved the bed rolling over Torkel's hand. Torkel moved his hand after the wheel rolled over it.

Jack felt Carter's neck. To his relief, he felt a strong pulse. He pulled back as he saw the people on the floor moving sluggishly. The adrenaline kicked in steadying him.

"Please Jack, help us. Max healed you." Liz begged. "You could have died."

Jack hesitated, looking at the unconscious bodies. He knew Max, Michael and Isabel had incredible power. What he realized in that brief instant of time when Liz touched him that the Roswell aliens can change normal human beings. Maybe even give human evolution a shove. What a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands!

Jack flinched as Liz reached out to touch him. Liz jerked back her hand. Jack studied Liz's face then nodded suddenly. Jack pulled General O'Neill's ID and walked over to one of the terminals in the room. He waved the ID over the scanner of a piece of equipment. It lit up. Jack then typed a few numbers and symbols into the system.

"Lockdown in fifteen minutes, Wildfire Directive." The intercom blasted the information throughout the base.

The sirens started wailing. Jack went back to Max and unplugged him. Jack lifted him in a fireman's hold. "Come on."

Liz breathed a sigh of relief as she followed Jack down the corridors stopping when he stopped moving when he moved. He came to a side door and opened it up. He used the ID again typing in another code. "Really O'Neill you should try to think of another password." He said to himself. Liz looked up and saw a ladder leading toward the surface. "We need to climb up ten stories in ten minutes. Or we will be locked in with them."

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"What happened?" General O'Neill walked into the conference room. After a lot of grief, he finally persuaded the Antarians that it would be best that they go back through the Stargate. "How did Liz knock us out?"

"That isn't the question." Carter stated replaying the security tape. Teal'c, Daniel and O'Neill watched tape. O'Neill leaned forward as a bright light appeared from Liz and Jack. "Look again." The screen showed Jack sagging forward just before the light appeared.

"She didn't do it alone." Daniel responded. "Jack helped."

"Not willingly, Danieljackson." Teal'c noticed a look of horror on the young boy's face as he bent over the still form of Colonel Carter.

"Why did he help her then?" Carter confused and a bit hurt that Jack would side against the SGC. "He betrayed us. She couldn't have escaped without him."

"No, Jack would never betray us." Daniel frowned thoughtfully. "He knew Liz and Max and more than that what Max could do. Another thing, Liz and Jack are human and look at the power they have. Maybe the hybrids can influenced human development."

"I don't think that's possible." Carter stated.

"Then how do you explain what she did?" O'Neill asked. "By the way, exactly what did she do?"

"The doctors could only say that all of us went into a REM sleep pattern." Carter answered still a little hurt by Jack's choice.

"Similar to what the ancient woman did in Antarctica." Teal'c said in a neutral tone.

"Yes." O'Neill reflected back to the little field trip to Antarctica. Pulling his mind away from the virulent plague he and Carter caught. "Okay. So far the NID and the Air Force are going to be on the look out for them. Until they find them, we must wait."

"For what?" Carter looked at General O'Neill. Almost everybody they met except the Asgards continually underestimated General O'Neill's intelligence. After the first time she never made that mistake again.

"For Jack to contact us." O'Neill answered. "He is trying to form an alliance with ... what did Khivar call them ... the Royal Four."

"That makes sense." Daniel remembered Jack's hesitation on the security tape. And knowing O'Neill the way he did, that is exactly what Jack was doing.

"An alliance with beings that powerful will be a help with our war against the Goa'uld." Teal'c said. The rest of SG-1 nodded. They all hoped Jack would be able to contact them soon.

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Kyle climbed into the back seat next to Jack while his father took the wheel. Everybody was quiet Liz and Isabel sat on either side of Max awake but with their eyes closed. Max's head lay on Liz's shoulder. Michael and Maria fell asleep finally, curled up together.

Everybody wanted to form the circle but couldn't risk it under the circumstances. The Air Force was looking for them they had to drive a bit further before they could risk it.

Kyle glanced over at Jack. He caught Jack's reflection on the window of the van. He wore that exact expression when he knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that he would never have a normal life. Jack caught his eye and turned to him and nodded. Kyle nodded back and turned his head back to the road. Kyle didn't know what the future would hold beyond the fact that they would heal Max and continue on their journey with one more person along for the ride.

THE END


	3. Chapter 3

The Alliance 3

By Eliza Hayes

The young clone had been through a lot of things but this one ranked mildly weird. His new friends stood in a loose circle around Max. It made him feel the same helplessness that he did when he was watching one of his injured teammates going through an operation or his son … No…not going to think of that now!

Jack felt a slight shift in his mind's eye and the wooded area shifted into a barren dusty landscape. He saw Max standing in front of him and the others grinning in relief at Max. Max held his hand out and Jack instinctively grasped it in his own.

"Glad you're okay." Jack looked out over the landscape. "Look like Ab .. Arizona."

"Roswell, New Mexico." Max answered, appearing bemused. "Nothing fazes you, does it?"

"Some things still do." Jack said, as the woods came back into focus. Liz and Michael helped Max to his feet.

"Let's get going." Valenti headed back to the van. "We're still in danger."

Jack opened his mouth to reassure the others but realized this wasn't the time or the place. They climbed in the van. Everyone except for Jack and Valenti was talking, trying to tell Max what happened since he went into a coma.

They hit a motel and got connecting rooms. They decided on the schedule of watches with Maria and Michael taking the first watch.

NEXT DAY

They finished their breakfast at the local diner. Basically, the group was euphoric: getting Max back both literally and metaphysically made for a heady mixture. Jack decided it was the best time to bring up the topic.

"We snatched you out of the jaws of hell," Michael said.

"You should have seen Jack," Liz said. "He carried you ten floors to safety."

"Thanks again," Max said to Jack.

"Don't mention it," Jack said, a little put out that they equated Cheyenne Mountain with hell. Cheyenne Mountain was the one place among all others he wanted to be.

"I owe you one," Max said.

The agreements flowed around the table. Isabel frowned at Jack. "What's going on?"

Jack should have figured it was a two way street. He felt something was wrong with Isabel when Max was taken by the Air Force. Isabel was feeling something from him now.

"You chose us," Isabel said.

The others stopped talking. They all now knew something was wrong. Jack recognized that this was a team like SG-1. They sensed immediately when something wasn't right with a member of the team.

"No, I didn't," Jack said. "I'm Air Force. Since, Vietnam. It is all I that ever wanted to be. It is all that I ever want to be."

"But you choose us," Isabel said, her eyes growing shiny.

"Isabel," Max started. "He saved me. That's all that matters now."

"No … no," Isabel said. "Why did you save him? If …"

"I like you, more than …," Jack said to Isabelle. He stopped, gathering his thoughts.

"Why did you save Max?" Valenti asked.

"You understand how dangerous they are," Jack said.

"Only when necessary, to protect their own," Valenti said.

"If forced, they could … you could hurt my friends," Jack said. "Like Liz…"

"I didn't mean to hurt them." Liz said, interrupting before he could complete the sentence.

"You made me a weapon against my friends … against myself," Jack said.

"She didn't hurt them," Max said, repeating Liz's statement. "She would never hurt them."

"I know. If she could, I would have never helped her," Jack said. "Riley told me what just one of you did to an Air Force base. She destroyed everything and all of you were coming for Max. You could destroy everyone and everything I cared about."

"They had Max," Michael said his voice lowered to growl. "We couldn't leave him behind."

This was the first time that Jack saw a glimmer of what Michael was: a soldier, a general.

"Believe me, I understand," Jack said. "I knew that an alliance between us couldn't be forced."

"Between us and the Air Force," Isabel said. Her face showed her revulsion with that idea. "They captured Max. They were in 'alliance' with Khivar. Probably, in hopes of getting advanced technology."

"That's not true," Jack said.

"You're wrong," Isabel said. "They will torture us. Like they did the last time they caught Max."

"They were trying to help him," Jack said.

"Not this time," Max said. "Not the last time they caught me."

"And what about you?" Michael said. "They tortured you."

"That wasn't authorized," Jack said. "I would never allow it."

"It isn't up to you," Valenti said.

"You're wrong," Jack said. "It is up to me. The other me. He would never allow anyone to hurt you."

"You don't know that," Isabel said.

"Yes, I do," Jack said. "There is something you don't know. Something about …"

"No, Jack, I will not risk my family," Max said.

Jack looked around the table and saw that they were in agreement with Max. He threw the dice and lost. There wouldn't be an alliance with them. His future was lost in the hopes: They would trust him like he trusted them.

"I understand," Jack said. Even if he wanted to he couldn't force them to come back to SGC. And he realized that sooner or later the Air Force would be looking for him. General O'Neill would be forced to ask the Asgard for help, and the Asgards demonstrated that he couldn't hide from them.

"You can come with us," Kyle said. He felt awful about the situation. Jack went against his own people, in the hope of some sort of unrealistic friendship between the Air Force and them.

"You should leave," Jack said. The longer they stayed with him, the more they were at risk of the Air Force finding them. And from what he had seen and heard, that could be incredibly dangerous for all concerned.

"Come with us," Isabel said.

"No," Jack said. He felt the connection between them grow. He realized that Isabel was trying to unintentionally bind him to them. He started to build a wall between them. His headache grew as Isabel fought him, but he finally succeeded. "Leave, the sooner the better."

"You can't go back," Max said. "Come with us."

Jack laughed bitterly and said. "That wouldn't be wise. You don't trust me. You would blame … never mind. Go."

"I do trust you," Max said. "I …"

Jack got up from the table. "This argument is done. You go your way and I'll go mine."

"You have to do something." Isabel said to Max as they watched Valenti hold out some money to Jack. Jack hesitated for a moment then took it.

"You mean force him to join us?" Michael said.

"Yes … no," Isabel said. She didn't understand why he didn't join them. He couldn't go back.

"Isabelle," Max said. "I'm sorry."

"I don't feel him anymore," Isabel said. "It is like he's already gone."

Liz put her arm around Isabel's shoulders.

STARGATE COMMAND

The wormhole appeared in a deadly rush until it settled back into the ring.

"Unauthorized gate activation." Sergeant Silar pushed some buttons.

Everybody tensed for battle. Their jobs were a combination of boredom and sheer terror. Lately, it seemed that the sheer terror was gaining the upper hand, with Ba'al becoming the dominant System Lord. The only comfort was that General Hammond had temporarily taken over the leadership of while General O'Neill and the SG-1 team went to Retalia to talk about the Reeto rebels attack on an ally's planet.

SG-1 and General O'Neill came through the wormhole a couple of days before they were due. The soldier didn't relax, even at the sign of familiar faces.

"Reeto Central Authority apologized about the rebel attack on our ally's planet." Colonel Carter said. "But right now, they can't do anything about the rebellion. They're moving their civilization to an undisclosed location where the System Lords can't find them."

"Okay. Debriefing in 15," General Hammond said.

With the debrief finished, General Hammond jotted down a few more notes and then said, "What have you decided to do about finding the clone?"

The SG-1 team glanced around the table. No one wanted to catch Jack. The punishment would be severe if he didn't come back with the Royal Four in tow.

"We put out a missing person report," O'Neill said. "Nothing has come of it so far."

"Have you called the Asgards to assist us?" General Hammond said.

"It has only been a week," O'Neill said. "I want to give him a chance to convince the Royal Four to join us."

"The President was displeased when Khivar decided to break the agreement with us," Hammond said.

"That's probably a good thing," O'Neill said. "The Royal Four are the only ones that can run the weapon. I guarantee that if they become our allies, Khivar will have no choice but to reopen negotiations."

"Alright," Hammond said, after a long pause. "Keep me updated."

"Yes, sir," O'Neill said.

"Dismissed," Hammond said. Then he sat there for a while, trying to work out what he was going to say to the President.

TWO MONTHS LATER

Jack walked down the road. He spent the past couple months wandering America and taking odd jobs for money before moving on. He was now in Upstate New York.

He was surprised that the Air Force hadn't beamed him up by now. He guessed they were still hopeful that he could talk the Royal Four into coming to Cheyenne Mountain.

He knew that he would probably never breathe unprocessed air again so he decided to get in as much outdoor living as he could. He should be enjoying the last moments of freedom, but he missed Isabelle. She stopped trying to contact him several weeks ago.

He saw an open truck come down the road and stuck out his thumb.

The truck stopped a few feet from him. Jack saw an older couple about his original age peering out at him. "We're heading toward the city," the man said. "Where are you headed?"

"Wherever you are," Jack answered, assuming they are talking about New York City. New Yorkers seemed to think there was one city in their state.

"Hop in back," the man said, gesturing to the flat bed.

Jack climbed in the back, and the truck started down the road. They tried to talk to him a few minutes before the shouting back and forth became too much. And again he was left to his thoughts.

ST CHRISTOPHER'S HOSPITAL

Jack trudged down the hall holding his hand on the top of the mop as he pulled the bucket along. Working as a janitor in a hospital was a truly disgusting job, having to go from place to place cleaning up all manner of human waste.

"Johnny, after you put the mop away, get the cart to collect the dirty sheets," a voice came from one of the halls.

"You got it Nurse Ratchett." Jack said, flashing a grin at his favorite nurse, Celestica Smith.

"Get on with you," Celestica said, her white teeth flashing in her dark face. She was over fifty but she was one of these women who got prettier the older they get. His ex mother-in-law was like that.

"I'm on it," Jack said.

She patted his cheek fondly before rushing to her next task.

Even though the job could be on the TV show, Dirty Jobs, it had it conveniences. First, Celestica allowed him to sleep in one of the spare doctor's bunk rooms in the hospital which really cut down on rent. Also the food was cheap. In a few months he would have enough money to start out again. Maybe go to Maine, camp out and do some fishing.

Jack spent most of the day, dodging doctors and nurses running around as he collected sheets and blankets from the different rooms. He stopped at what the staff called the Reaper Ward: a depressing place where the dying lay in wait for death. For most it seemed that death would be a welcome relief.

Some of the most heartbreaking sights were in that ward. He rolled into the room that housed one patient who was barely seventeen years old.

"Sallie Mae, just a minute more," a blond haired woman said her daughter as the nurse lifted her up while another quickly spread the bed.

Sallie Mae's chin quivered but no sound came out. She was most likely too tired to make a sound.

Jack grabbed the dirty sheets and put them in the cart. The older nurse followed him out.

"It is such a darn shame," the nurse said almost to herself. "She doesn't deserve to die."

"Does any kid?" Jack answered back. The nurse laughed at Jack's statement. Jack kept forgetting that he didn't appear much older than Sallie Mae. "She's brave."

"Braver than the parents," the nurse said a bit uncharitably in Jack's opinion. Losing a child was the worst thing a parent could go through. And it appeared that they were losing theirs by inches. "You should have seen them crying while Sallie Mae told them everything was going to be alright. It was a disgrace."

Jack made a noncommittal sound as he went into the next room, a coma patient's room. He was not much older than Sallie Mae. He appeared to be in his late twenties but the beard could be throwing off his age. Jack remembered someone telling him that he was hit by a car, but they could have been talking about another patient. It was like that in a hospital, a long list of patients and injuries and illnesses, hard to keep track of all that misery.

"Hi Johnny," a young nurse said, pointing unnecessarily at the white pile sitting in the corner of the room. "The sheets are in the corner."

"Thanks," Jack said. He watched her for a moment. "You're shaving him. Is his family coming for a visit?"

"He has no family," the nurse said. "Just practicing on an uncomplaining victim."

Jack laughed as he left the room. After collecting all the sheets, he placed them in a large storage area. He was relieved that he didn't have to wash them.

He spent the rest of the day changing light bulbs, replacing faulty equipment and other miscellaneous jobs. He took a shower then crashed in the crib.

Jack woke again to a doctor crawling into the lower bunk. "What time is it?"

"Five thirty," the doctor mumbled half asleep already.

Jack crawled out of top bunk into sweats to hit the head and then out for a run.

When he came back, he went through the routine of cleaning floors and rooms of patients who died or were moved to another room. He mechanically went through the Reaper ward until he stopped outside the room of the coma patient. His jaw dropped. The newly shaved coma patient was Max.

"How did Max get here?" Jack thought. He unblocked the link between Isabelle. He felt her pushing him away, hurt. He tried to tell her that Max was here but he didn't feel a response from her.

"Hey, Max," Jack said, touching his shoulder. "This is getting to be a habit."

He looked at the chart but saw that Max only had minimal brain activity. Jack figured that Max and the rest were trying to hide here, and somehow Max got into another accident.

"I'll contact the gang and they will come for you," Jack said. He hated to leave him here undefended but there was nothing he could do about it.

ROSWELL

"Isabel," Kyle said from the driver's seat. The first hints of morning were peeking out from the horizon. "Are you alright?"

"Jack …," Isabel said. "I can feel him again. "

"What are you going to do?" Kyle said. He waited in comparative silence. The rest were in various stages of sleep. Maria's snores kept it from being true silence. "She's just as noisy asleep as she is when she's awake," Kyle thought idly.

"Nothing, he abandoned us." Isabel said, expressing her hurt and disappointment.

"He could be …," Kyle started but one look at Isabel's face shut him up.

"It is my turn," Isabel said. Kyle stopped the car at the side of the road. They changed places and drove on not speaking. Kyle watched the sun turn from red to its normal shade as it climbed slowly to its position overhead.

ST CHRISTOPHER HOSPITAL

"Isabel," Jack said with exasperation. She knew she was hurt but still, with Max missing, she should at least respond.

Jack went back to the room and stared at Max. He couldn't believe that they would leave him here unprotected. He hesitated for a moment but then decided he couldn't leave Max.

He tried to complete the circle alone. At first all the felt was the vague sense of silliness of trying this alone. However, something stirred. A darkness not of evil, something different: pragmatic, purposeful, angry energy latched on to him. Jack threw up a block instinctively to stop that energy from consuming him.

"Who are you?" Max said from the bed. Jack saw Max's hand grabbed him weakly.

"Max," Jack said. "Are you alright? I'm trying to contact your friends."

"Max," Max said. "My friends."

"You know the Royal Four," Jack said, putting his other hand on top of his.

"You know who I am?" Max said. Jack nodded his head.

"You are …" Jack said, concerned about Max's amnesia.

"Zan," Max said. "Where are Vilandra and Rath?"

"Who?" Jack said puzzled until he realized that Max was talking about Isabel and Michael.

"Max … Max," Zan said, smiling gently.

Jack's instincts kicked in. Something was off with Max. He was a different person. Maybe the accident caused him to revert to Zan. Jack decided to go along with it.

"I don't know …," Jack said. He let go of Zan's hand as he pulled away.

Zan swung his newly freed hand toward Jack. Jack felt a force hit him all over. He tried to block out that force and was somewhat successful.

"Interesting," Zan said as he pulled the needles and other medical equipment out. He then stood up after staggering a little so he grabbed a hold of the small dresser beside the bed. "Not a normal human, are you, Max."

Jack stood swaying back and forth. He didn't know how he was still on his feet.

"Max," Zan said. "Where are… no, we'll get to that question later. Where am I?"

"St. Christopher Hospital," Jack said, trying to figure out how to handle Zan.

"St. Chris, still in New York," Zan opened and shut drawers and went to the closet to check that out. "No clothes."

Jack tried to back out of the room without Zan realizing it.

"Un, Un, Unnn," Zan said, slamming him back against the wall near the door. Jack felt the light switch gouge his back. Zan moved forward and touched his chest.

Being in Vietnam, an Iraqi prison, and Ba'al's prisoner were child's play next to what Zan did. Every nerve screamed out in pain. His whole body twisted and shook. It felt like he was being burned alive. He heard screaming in the distance, and realized it was coming from him. As suddenly as the pain started, it was over with the removal of Zan's hand. Jack slid down the wall to the floor gasping for breath.

"God," Jack said, shaking in pain. "God" he said again his voice barely above a whisper.

"Don't try that again," Zan said. "Get up."

Jack braced himself against the wall as he got to his feet. He felt dizzy and faint and he couldn't stop shaking.

"Clothes," Zan said.

"What?" Jack said; his voice hoarse.

"Clothes," Zan said, stepping forward. Jack tried to back up, but he hit the wall.

Zan's hand reached out. Jack flinched at the sight but Zan put it on the wall next to him. Zan leaned forward and said, "Where can I find clothes?"

"Lost and Found," Jack said.

"Let's go," Zan said.

Jack walked through the hospital. He saw the doctors, nurses and orderlies going about their business. He heard Zan walking behind him. He jumped as a hand landed on his shoulder but relaxed when he realized that Zan was using him for support.

ROSWELL

Most of the people were already awake in the van but the rest came awake with a start when Isabel made a violent U-Turn.

"What's going on?" Max said, prying himself off the door. Although, that proved difficult with Liz smashed up against him.

"Jack," Isabel said, shaking. "Someone is hurting him."

She sped down the road.

"Isabel slow down," Max said.

The others agreed with him. Loudly. Max wanted to switch off the van but he knew he might not be able to start it again.

"You can't help him if we crash," Kyle said.

That did it, Isabel slowed down, dropping the speed below 3 digits. But not by much.

"He's scared," Isabel said. "He's so scared."

"Where is he?" Maria said.

"Don't know," Isabel said. "Closer, but still far … too far away."

Kyle pulled out the map from the glove compartment. "Okay, about twenty miles outside Duke University. This highway is heading East. We'll continue on this highway."

"Stop and let me drive," Michael said.

"No," Isabel said.

"Sleep, if he falls asleep, you'll be ready," Michael said. "Ask him who's hurting him. And more importantly, where he is?"

Isabel pulled over and got out of the van. She climbed into the back seat and pulled out her purse to look for the picture she couldn't bear to rip up.

She faced forward as the van started moving, waiting for Jack to fall asleep.

ST CHRISTOPHER HOSPITAL

Jack sat down on the bench across from the lockers. He watched Zan rummage through all the clothes patients left either because they died or they had just forgotten them in their rush to leave the hospital. The timing was good, thought Jack. The quarterly clothes dump was coming up and all the clothes were cleaned in preparation for hospital staff to pick through them. All the remaining clothes that didn't find a home with the staff were always sent to Goodwill.

Jack turned away as Zan put on jeans, t-shirt and a jacket. Zan then went through the shoes until he found sneakers his size. There was blood on them but with a wave of a hand the blood disappeared.

"Come on," Zan said, walking out of the door.

"Where are we going?" Jack said.

Zan didn't answer. Jack saw that they were headed back to the Reaper Ward. They went into Sallie Mae's room. Jack saw that only Sallie Mae was in there. Her mother must have left her for a moment to eat or just stepped out for a moment.

"Sallie," Zan said, walking towards her. He held out his hand.

"Don't …," Jack said. He blocked Zan from Sallie Mae. Zan brushed Jack's throat and the pain came back. When the pain stopped Jack found that he was leaning against Zan. Zan pushed him and he staggered back.

"Sit down," Zan said. Something forced Jack against the chair. His knees buckled and he sat down. It felt like he was glued to the chair.

"Don't hurt her," Jack tried to say but nothing came out.

"Shh," Zan said with a knowing grin. He turned back to the girl lying on the bed. "How's my girl?"

Sallie stirred a bit and then woke up, "Zan … Zan," She beamed up at Zan. "Love these dreams."

"Not a dream this time," Zan said. "I'm here." He removed all the needles before sitting her up. Sallie moaned a little as he shifted her, but she was still smiling up at Zan.

Jack watched as Zan stood frozen for a good minute. He saw that his hand was on Sallie's thin back.

"The pain is gone," Sallie said in wonder.

"It will never come back," Zan said.

"Zan," Sallie said, putting her hand up to his cheek. He put his hand on top of hers before kissing her on the forehead.

She grabbed his face and kissed Zan on the lips. Jack felt uncomfortable watching this moment. Zan must have entered her dreams when in a coma like Isabel did to him back in Arletta.

Zan finally pulled back as Sallie said, "Are you really from another planet?"

"Yes," Zan said, brushing back her hair. "I have to go after Vilandra and Rath,"

"You don't know where they are," Sallie said. "That's what you said."

"He does." Zan said, pointing at Jack.

Jack shook his head no. Zan glared at him but that was it. Sallie prevented him from hurting Jack like he obviously wanted to.

"Don't worry I'll be back," Zan said.

"When?" Sallie said, throwing both her arms around him to hold him close.

"No more than two weeks," Zan said. "Then we'll be together. We'll be explorers, just like you want."

"Don't want to wait," Sallie said. "What if they kill you? I want to come with you, guard your back."

"Sallie," Zan said, smiling down at her fondly. Jack could tell he didn't want to leave her, but he didn't want to leave unfinished business.

"You're being an idiot," she said, releasing him, so she could look at his face. "What if he leads you into a trap?"

"It isn't a trap, is it Max?" Zan said, walking to the chair. Jack moved to get up but Zan but his hand on his shoulder.

Jack felt his heart pounding in his chest. He hated feeling so frightened and weak. He knew how dangerous the Royal Four could be, but it was different from experiencing firsthand what they could do.

HOTEL

Jack sat on the floor next to the bed stared blindly at the ugly red carpet of the motel. Zan sat in a chair across from him. "You're one stubborn SOB. Just tell me where they are and this can end."

Zan put out a hand. Jack shrank back trying to avoid it. "Don't …"

They both jumped at the knock on the door. Zan got up and went to the door.

"Yes," Zan said, opening the door a crack.

"Not that I don't enjoy a good time like the next man," a man said, trying to peer into the room. "But keep it down."

"Sorry, we will," Zan said to Jack. "Won't we."

Zan closed the door on the man.

Jack stood up. He had felt vulnerable sitting on the floor. Zan backed him into the corner and touched his throat. Jack knew any screams from here on out would not be heard.

ROSWELL

Isabel felt herself slip into the dream. The older Jack was standing with a fishing pole. She walked up behind him.

"Where are you?" Isabel said.

He turned to look at her before being distracted by the fishing pole jerking in his hands. "Colorado Springs. As close to heaven as you can get."

"Is that where you are now?" Isabel said, sitting next to him. She hoped that wasn't the case because they had driven through Philadelphia about two hours ago.

Jack frowned and said, "No."

"Jack," Isabel said, when he didn't say anything further.

"Why didn't you answer me," Jack said. "I called."

"I was angry with you," Isabel said. "I'm sorry. Please tell me where you are."

Jack hesitated for a moment before saying, "New York City."

"Where in New York?" Isabel pressed.

Jack reeled in the line and a huge fish popped out, "This Lake has no fish. That's how I know when I'm dreaming."

"Please, Jack," Isabel said.

"Silent Night Motel," Jack said. "Very Christmassy."

"Who's hurting you?" Isabel said. She shivered when a rumble came from above. The clouds suddenly caused the bright cheerful scene to grow dark.

"Max," Jack said. "Max is hurting me."

The rain started coming down. Isabel remained miraculously dry but Jack was both drenched and young. She had only been in his dreams once before; he was always older in his dreams up until now.

"Max is with me." Isabel said, worrying about Jack's state of mind.

Jack stood shivering, "Cold. I'm cold Isabel. He's different; Max is different. Goes by Zan. He's angry with you … with Vilandra and Rath. Says you tried to kill him."

"The second set, they made …," Isabel said. The dream winked out and she was back in the car.

"It is Zan. They're in New York City," Isabel said. "He's not dead."

Kyle pulled out another map and said, "Okay. We're here. If we stay on the highway, we should get to New York in no time."

"We'll save Jack," Max said. His face grew grim.

"I know." Isabel said, holding the picture between her hands, waiting for the next time Jack dreams.

HOTEL

Jack woke up wet and shivering with his clothes plastered uncomfortably to his body. He tried to get up, but he slipped in the tub. The knob turned by itself and the water warmed up.

"We're leaving," a voice came from his left. Zan came into view. He put some clothes on the counter. "Clean up and change into these when you're done."

Jack leaned against the back of the tub. Considering Zan had no idea where Isabel and Michael were, he didn't know why Zan decided it was time to leave. Zan turned and left the room.

Jack finished showering quickly. He dried himself and he put on the clothes. He hesitated for a second, then he walked into the next room. Zan was talking on the phone.

"I'll be there as soon as possible, Sallie." Zan said, waving Jack over. "The doctors are amazed at your sudden remission? How curious." Zan laughed at some statement of Sallie's. "Don't worry they will have to let you go sooner or later. Even if they can't figure out where your cancer went."

"A fortnight … Sallie, I'll be back in twelve days not a fortnight," Zan said. "And I'll bring you the best flowers I can find."

Jack walked over until he stood in front of Zan. He jerked back, knocking over the telephone book as he saw Zan's hand move. Zan brushed his hand on Jack's throat.

Jack bent over, picked up the telephone book and backed away slowly.

"Look for a place to eat," Zan said.

"What?" Jack said, his voice raspy from non-use. Zan spent a better part of a night torturing him, and now he wanted him to look for a restaurant.

Jack flipped through the pages until he found the page he wanted and said, "There is one two blocks down."

Zan nodded and went back to the conversation with Sallie.

DINER

If Jack had been in a mood to appreciate it, the diner would have been a charming place with tables and chairs scattered around the diner. Everything smelled delicious with a cook out in the open with several eggs, potatoes, and pancakes cooking simultaneously on the flat stove.

Zan was eating a hearty egg and sausage breakfast. Jack slowly ate his oatmeal, not really hungry but not willing to anger Zan at this point.

"Not hungry?" Zan said.

Jack shrugged not commenting either way.

"I handled you wrong," Zan said. He watched Jack speculatively. "I think I should visit your family and ask them where they are."

"They're here," Jack said.

The door swung open and three people walked in. The heads swiveled from the door to the table where Jack and Zan were sitting.

"You should have listened to Sallie," Jack said.

Zan tensed up as the three people walked to the table and said, "The others."

"How are you?" Isabel said, her voice higher than normal.

"Fine," Jack said, relaxing for the first time since waking Zan.

"Wait outside," Max said to Jack.

Jack got up and walked pass Isabel. He clasped Isabel's hand before releasing it.

"Clever," Valenti said, leaning against the van. "The telephone book on the bed with the page bent under the name and address of the diner."

"And marking it with a J," Kyle said, looking Jack's fingernails. "Who'd thought your nails were long enough to crease the paper."

"Max will punish him," Maria said.

"No, he won't," Jack said, shoving his hands in his pocket. "He'll let him go."

"How can you say that?" Maria said. "Do you think he would tolerate what he did to you because you left the group?"

"That isn't the point," Valenti said. Jack smiled, knowing that the ex-Sheriff and he were on the same wave-length. "He's family."

"But …," Maria said.

"I would never ask Max to go against family," Jack said.

"Are you alright?" Kyle said, changing the conversation. He was worried about how calm Jack was.

Jack knew what they were doing, trying to make him feel better. "Don't worry, I've been through worse."

"Worse, what can be worse?" Maria said, her voice irritated.

"Losing family," Jack said. "There they are?" Max and Zan led the way with Michael and Isabel following up the rear.

Zan walked toward him the others tensed up waiting to attack him. "They want me to apologize."

Jack snorted, "I make it a policy never to accept an apology from someone who doesn't mean it."

"You will never understand," Zan said.

"Wanting vengeance," Jack said. "You would be surprised."

"Want vengeance against me?" Zan said. He smiled at Jack.

"No, for two reasons" Jack said. "One: I have bigger fish to fry." Zan's smile winked out at the implied insult. "Two: Vengeance is only for people with nothing to lose."

"Like me," Zan said, pulling the lone wolf against the world act.

Jack laughed at the statement. The rest of the Royal Four and family shifted uncomfortably thinking Jack was losing it. Isabel stepped next to him and put her arm around him

"You're so young," Jack said, after he stopped laughing. "You are like Hamlet destroying everyone who loves you in your quest to kill your father's killer."

"Sallie," Zan said.

"Sallie," Jack repeated. "She deserves better than you. You should at least try to deserve her."

Jack got up and walked out of the motel It was one with a better theme than a Christmas song. Most of the others were sightseeing. It was their first time in New York without a mission to accomplish or least nothing harder than seeing the whole city in a couple of days. He left Isabel sleeping. It seemed that she had been awake for most of his captivity.

He walked into a bus station and glanced around. He stepped up to the window to get the tickets.

"Jack," Isabel said.

"Isabel," Jack said, turning to face her.

"I'm coming with you," Isabel said. Her face was determined.

"I'm heading to DC," Jack said. "They will fly me back to Colorado Springs base."

"I'm coming with you," Isabel repeated.

BUILDING – DC

"We're here to see General Hammond," Jack said to the receptionist.

"Can I get your names, please?" the receptionist said.

"Jack O'Neill and …," Jack said.

"Isabel Evans," Isabel said, not wanting to bring her ex-husband into this.

"Jack," General Hammond said, coming from a side elevator. General O'Neill came up beside him.

"General," Jack felt Isabel's hand clenched around his. Some of the lights started flickering. He leaned over and said, "Are you okay?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I be okay?" Isabel said.

Jack wisely said nothing at this.

Max and Michael rushed into the building. Max said, "Isabel, Jack. We're leaving."

Jack and Isabel looked at one another then stepped out into a courtyard. They met the rest at in front of a fountain.

General Hammond and O'Neill saw the whole group surround Isabel and Jack through the window of the building.

"Jack will put them first," Hammond said. "He's no longer you."

O'Neill didn't answer. It looked to him like they were all talking at once. General Hammond stepped next to him watching the commotion.

"Close but no cigar," O'Neill said to Hammond.

"Jack has gotten one of them to agree," Hammond said. "The rest will follow."

"She isn't the leader," O'Neill said.

"They're family. They might not like it but they will follow her lead." Hammond said his voice wry with his own memories of backing his people's play, especially SG-1. "Understand."

O'Neill thought about all the time Daniel and Carter walked into a situation that caused Teal'c and him to follow to rescue or just back them up. Even Teal'c wasn't above doing something that required rescuing.

"Yes," O'Neill said in a discouraged tone.

"Where one goes, the others will follow," Hammond said. "If they decide they don't want to be part of SGC…"

"SGC will make sure of the Royal Four's freedom," O'Neill interrupted the statement. Hammond nodded in agreement. "And Jack's as well."

After a few minutes of bickering, the group came in.

"General Hammond, O'Neill," Jack said, moving his hand to each person in turn. "This is Max Evans, Michael Guerin, Isabel Evans, Maria Del Luca, Liz Evans, Jim Valenti and his son Kyle."

"It is nice to meet you," Hammond said.

After the greeting Jack said, "It might be best to limit their time at Cheyenne Mountain. It seems the Air Force made a nasty habit of abducting them."

"We have it covered," O'Neill said, raising his eyebrow at Isabel and Jack holding hands. He was surprised how much Jack had changed. He really would give up Stargate Command to be with her … them. That was something O'Neill would never even contemplate. However, when they thought Stargate Command was going to be closed, his team left Earth for what they thought would be forever.

"Before we continue, I need you to sign a form." Hammond said, pointing back to the elevator.

"A form," Max said, hesitating before entering the elevator. It was a tight squeeze but everybody could get in.

"Basically, that you will say nothing about what you see or hear from this point on," Hammond said.

They all looked surprised but then nodded their heads in agreement. Jack grinned at them. He guessed they were a bit surprised that the Air Force had a bigger secret than aliens that crashed landed in Roswell.

The elevator stopped at the eleventh floor and they got off. Hammond walked into the room across from the elevator. They herded in behind him. A Major rushed, in bringing the forms, and put them around the table that dominated the room.

"Thank you, Major Davis," Hammond said.

"Can I get you anything coffee, water, soda?" Davis asked.

No was the general consensus.

"You have one more than needed," Jack said.

"You have to sign an updated one," Hammond said.

"Oh for crying out loud," Jack said.

Most of the other started laughing. The ice was officially broken.

After the last form was collected, Hammond stood up. Everybody else followed his lead.

"Captain, we're ready," Hammond said, speaking into what looked like a phone.

Barely a second after that statement, they were transported to another location.

They were in a large room with two windows going along either side. On one side: thousands of stars filled the window which went along one side of the room. On the other: Earth was spinning slowly in space.

"Wow," Kyle said.

The rest of the people were stunned into silence, not believing the magnitude of both how they got there and what they were seeing.

"Welcome to the newest ship of the line, Thor's Hammer," O'Neill said. "Or as we like to call it, The Hammer."

THE END


End file.
